Life Envy
by SuckerForTheVillians
Summary: When a ten-thousand year old evil is accidentally released by Starfire, The Teen Titans, the Fenton's and Sam and Tucker must unite to save Danny. TTxDP Warning for character deaths and graphic violence.
1. First Encounters

"Titans, go!"

Within seconds, the team of five spread out, each was covering an escape route. Other than the fighting, the dock was fairly silent and the night air was calm and still.

Robin ran past several tall metal boxes, undetected by the figure they were chasing. The creature was busied and distracted by the green glows being shot at him from the sky, the blue glows from behind him, the black bird and a green bear in close pursuit behind him.

The creature ran unsuspectingly to the right, getting out of the way of the four pursuers behind him, but running into the fifth waiting behind the boxes. Robin came at him with his staff held over his head as he readied to bring it down forcefully on the creature, but he grabbed it with his clawed hand as it came down and lifted Robin effortlessly off of the ground. He snarled viciously, its drool covered fangs glinting in the light of the moon, but he did not attack. Instead, he tossed the stick Robin clung to and began running again, looking for a spot he could take a moment to rest at.

Robin jumped up off the ground, dismissing the aching shoulder he had received during his fall and began chasing after the beast again.

"Robin! He is cornered," Starfire yelled from the sky, pointing down at the dead end the creature had inadvertently run into.

The Titans came to the dead end and stood at the entrance, ensuring that the creature had nowhere to go. As they approached, the creature turned to them and spoke something.

"What did he say?" Cyborg asked.

"Maybe he's talking in wolf," Beast Boy suggested. He morphed into a wolf and attempted to communicate with the creature, but it appeared to be as confounded by his woofs and whines as they had been at his own speech.

"Alright, that's enough. Cybrog, net him," Robin said.

Cyborg lifted his gun to fire when the wolf suddenly lashed out, but not at any of them. Instead, he sliced at thin air. To the Titans surprise, he actually created a tear. It opened what looked like a entrance, which the wolf immediately jumped into, disappearing.

Having little time to think it through, Robin ran to the tear and jumped inside as well. Beast Boy and Starfire followed him quickly, but Cyborg and Raven were a bit more hesitant to jump into a tear in the world leading who knew where.

As they entered, Beast Boy and Cyborg screamed in panic at the sight of an endless black nothingness, yet they did not fall. There were swirls of green and purple like clouds and several islands of broken rock glowing ominous neon green.

"Whoa! Where are we?" Beast Boy thought aloud, waving his hands and legs around in alarm as he floated weightlessly in the air. When it finally occurred to him he wasn't going to fall, he took the opportunity to air-swim around in circles, laughing to himself at the freedom. "This place is awesome!"

Cyborg and Robin- also unaccustomed to flight- waved around unsteadily, the surprise of having not fallen taking a moment to pass.

Starfire gasped with delight. "Oh, Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, you are flying! This is truly wonderful," she said.

"Raven, do you know where we are?" Robin asked, gaining control of himself and floating around uncomfortably.

She shook her head. "I've never seen any place like it," she said with her usual dull tone.

"Hey, Robin. I saw the wolf!" Cyborg said, pointing at one of the larger islands. Robin began thrusting his arms and chest out in attempts to move, but was finding it difficult. Finally Starfire grabbed a hold of his arms and carried him towards the island. Beast Boy morphed into a pterodactyl and grabbed Cyborg. Raven followed behind them, glancing around cautiously.

Beast Boy and Starfire dropped their load onto the island and landed beside them. Raven fell softly to the ground as well and began scanning the area. "Something's here."

Robin looked at her and then around the island. It was mostly covered in tall jagged rocks and boulders that would be easy enough to hide from, but as he continued his inspection, he noticed the remains of what would have been a black castle. "That wolf must be hiding in those ruins over there."

The team headed cautiously over to the towering remnants of the ancient structure. Raven ran her hand across a burn mark on one of the black stone walls thoughtfully. "There was a battle," she said.

"Who won?" Beast Boy asked.

"I don't know. I wasn't there."

"Cyborg, over there," Robin said, pointing to a mound of boulders. Something had moved behind them. Cyborg replaced his hand with his gun and the two began guardedly approaching the rubble. Beast Boy followed behind them, bouncing around with the hyper energy he always somehow maintained.

Raven meanwhile left to what looked like the remains of a doorway and began to read the inscriptions above the frame.

Starfire was about to join Robin, Cyborg and Beast Boy but stopped when she heard something like a whisper behind her. She turned and looked around, but saw nothing. Yet as she turned to leave, she heard it again, but this time she was able to make it out.

"Help me…"

Starfire's eyes darted from one place to another in search of the voice, but saw nothing. "Hello? Is someone there?"

"Help me."

Starfire entered a fairly intact room where she thought she had heard the voice. Inside she found it completely empty except for a rusted metal cell. Within it was a tall block of ice. She stared at it, wondering how it wasn't melting when the voice spoke once again.

"Please. Help me."

"Where are you?" Starfire asked. She opened the door to the cell with ease, the hinges breaking at the slightest touch and falling to the ground. She entered, her breath immediately puffing out in smokes from the ice. Her question was answered when she felt something cold touch her arm. She jumped back in alarm. She looked at the ice and gasped at the sight of a man frozen within. He looked to be in his thirties or so, but his figure was terribly sickly and malnourished.

"Oh my!" she floated daintily to the ice and stared in at him. "Are you alright? Here, let me help you." She tapped the ice to test the thickness. "You poor man."

"Yes… pity me. Pity this poor, pitiful wretch doomed to eternal, agonizing peace," he said angrily. "Please, help me."

"Do not worry. I will get you out," she said, inspecting the ice. If she was careful, she could blast him out easily. Stepping back, she aimed her hands at the ice block. "Hold still…" she blasted it, sending pieces of ice rocketing through the air. She put her arms in front of her face to guard herself from the shards.

The man collapsed weakly to the ground. Starfire went helped him effortlessly to his feet. He looked at her gratefully, a charming smile crossing his face.

"Thank you, my friend."

"Oh, I am Starfire."

"Thank you, Starfire," he said.

"What is your name?" she asked conversationally.

"At the moment, I am Benjamin McElroy," he answered. He attempted to stand on his own, gesturing for her to release her hold on his arm. He tried to buckle his knees, but didn't have the strength to hold the bony body and he fell to the ground again. "Curse that loathsome Clockwork and his paltry Seers!" he growled with a tired sigh.

Starfire knelt down beside him, staring at him concernedly. "How long were you in there?"

"Tens of thousands of years, my friend," he said. "And I thank you greatly for freeing me from that contemptible ice-prison I was unjustly sentenced to spend eternity rotting in! You are a kind soul," he said. He nonchalantly placed his hand on her chest and kept it there for a moment as though he were checking something.

"You breathe?"

Starfire gently removed the hand and nodded. "Yes. Does not everyone?"

Benjamin smiled softly. "How did you come to be here?"

"My friends and I followed a wolf here."

"You have friends with you?"

She nodded.

"Do they breathe as you do?"

"Yes," she answered, giving the question little thought or suspicion.

"That's good to hear," he said. Once again, he tried to stand, but to no avail. He fell and Starfire caught him before he touched the ground. She put him down gently and stared at him sympathetically. "Who would do such a cruel thing?"

"A cruel man… now, would you help me yet again?"

Starfire nodded.

"My cane is standing frozen over there in the corner," he said, pointing a shaky finger towards the dark corner. There was another mound of ice, but instead of a man, there was a tall cane, much too tall for a man his size. "Would you please retrieve it for me?"

Starfire patted his back and went over to the corner. She held out her hands and shot the green glows from her hands, breaking the ice into more spear-shaped pieces. She covered her face as they passed and then grabbed the cane off of the floor. It had a handle at the top that was long enough for the man to place both hands on. She brought it from the corner and handed it to him.

The man took it gratefully and stared at it for a moment affectionately. Then with a swift, almost unseen movement of his hands, he squeezed the side of the cane just below the handle, releasing a sharp blade at the end. In another swift motion, he lifted it from the ground and jammed it into his chest, but not too deeply.

Starfire gasped in surprise. "Robin! Help!" she shouted, helplessly staring at the man. Strangely, he did not make a sound, nor winced. Instead, a smile passed over his lips and a sigh of pleasure left his mouth softly.

He gazed down at the bleeding wound for a few seconds, and then began to slice downwards, skillfully avoiding stabbing the blade too deeply. As he cut downwards, his heart became visible, an unmoving, deep red body-part sitting uselessly silent. The gaping wound suddenly became bordered by what looked like a blue bruise, but as Starfire stared in horror and surprise, it became clear that it was something completely dissimilar. The blue began spreading from the wound like water, traveling through his chest, up and down his arms and legs and up his neck to his face. As it passed like a burning flame, his eyes began changing as well. The dull brown became flooded with a glowing blood red color, covering the entire eye. His smile suddenly turned into a fanged grin. A snake-like tongue escaped from between the bottom and top teeth, tasting the air.

"Robin!" Starfire called again, turning around and scanning the area for him, but there was no reply. There was no sight of him anywhere. When she turned back around, her eyes went wide.

A tall, dark blue-skinned figure stood before her. He was almost a head taller than Cyborg. An exposed heart sat nestled in an open wound on his chest, freely bleeding green. The weak, sickly body had improved some. He had a better build, but was still unnaturally skinny. The face was that of an attractive thirty-year-old with red eyes and a fanged smile. The figure held a cane in his left hand and was leaning tiredly against it. The blade had disappeared back to where it had come from.

"Ah. Thank you!" he said, smiling with relief. He glanced down at his form with pleasure and then diverted his eyes up to hers. "I owe you greatly."

"What has happened to you!" Starfire asked, staring up at him confusedly.

"I have merely returned my strength. The man you released was a weak form. Now, you say you followed a wolf here?"

Starfire nodded, speechless.

"That wolf tears through space. His portal has most likely closed, so you will need to locate another. Where do you come from?"

"Jump City."

Benjamin pondered a moment. He reached down and picked up a relatively thin piece of stone. He then rubbed his fingers on it. Smoke rose from the stone slab as he moved his fingers gracefully over it. When he finished, he handed it to her. "There is a map to the portal you require. It will return you and your friends to Jump City. It is the least I can do to repay you for the kindness you have done for me. Follow the instructions precisely and they won't fail you. Now, go. I have very little time."

"Little time to what?"

He put his hands on her shoulders. "Go home and do not return."

"But-"

He glanced up as though he saw something.

Starfire looked around and saw Robin and Cyborg and Beast Boy coming towards them. "Oh. Do not worry. Those are my friends-" She looked back only to find that Benjamin McElroy was gone.

"Starfire! Where have you been?" Beast Boy asked in curiously.

"Yeah. We needed you back there. We lost track of the wolf."

Starfire turned around and stared at them, her eyes wide with bewilderment.

"Starfire, are you alright?" Robin asked, coming to her and placing his hand gently on her back.

"Yes. I am fine. It is only that-"

"Robin!"

He turned around as Raven approached.

"Find anything?"

She nodded. "I know where we are now."

"Where?"

"The world of the dead."

Robin's eyes widened and he looked around.

"What?! Does that mean we're dead, too?" Beast Boy asked fearfully, looking and pinching himself.

"No. But we should probably leave. We might disturb one of the spirits," Raven said.

"Okay. How do we get out of here, then?" Cyborg asked.

"Here."

Robin looked as Starfire handed him the stone slab Benjamin had given her. He examined it a moment, reading the instructions and following the map with his eyes. "Where did you get this?"

Not wanting to say that she had 'disturbed a spirit' and upset Raven, she answered hesitantly. "I… found it."

"What is it?" Beast Boy asked.

"It looks like a map."

"It will take us back home," Starfire said. "He- I mean, we should follow the instructions exactly," Starfire said, repeating the advice Benjamin had told her.

Robin stared at the slab a moment longer and then looked up at the limitless black sky. "Let's go."

Starfire grabbed hold of Robin, Beast Boy grabbed Cyborg and Raven flew solo, following the map- as was instructed- precisely. Finally, it led them to another tear. They flew into it, but not before Starfire had glanced back in time to catch a glimpse of Benjamin, waving her farewell. As soon as they had left, the tear closed.


	2. Reaper

Starfire mused over her encounter the next day thoughtfully, remembering vividly the rather gruesome transformation Benjamin had undertaken before her eyes. She also, for the first time since then, began wondering over the questions he had asked her. It had finally become so unnerving that she asked Robin.

"Do some people on earth not breathe?"

Robin stopped his training exercise to give her an inquiring look. "What?"

"I have been here for some time, now, but there are still things that I am sure I do not know."

"Everybody breathes, Starfire. You breathe, I breathe."

"Yes, but does Cyborg? I have observed that his chest does not move as yours does."

"That's because he's a cyborg. He has mechanical lungs that gives him air."

"Oh. I see."

"Why do you ask?" Robin asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a towel. He tossed it aside lazily.

"Oh. Um. No reason," she replied and quickly turned away to leave.

"Wait. What's the matter with you? You've been acting strange ever since yesterday."

"It is nothing."

Robin stared at her and then walked up behind her. "Starfire, if there's something wrong, you can tell me."

She turned and stared at him. She had been desperately wishing to tell someone, but since she had already lied, she had been hesitant to say anything more about the incident. "Will you not be mad at me?"

Robin's face softened, but was still intense with curiosity and worry. "I won't get mad. What's wrong?"

"Yesterday, when we followed the wolf into the world of the dead and I did not come with you and Cyborg and Beast Boy to hunt the wolf, it was because…"

Robin stared at her, impatient, but tried not to appear so.

"I heard someone."

Robin's brow lifted. "Heard who?"

"A man. It was terrible, Robin! He was trapped in ice. I had to help him. He was very kind and spoke sweetly to me, but he asked strange questions that I do not understand."

"Like what"

"He asked if I breathed and if you breathed. I told him yes."

"Why would he ask you that?" Robin asked, mostly to himself as he thought over it.

"I do not know."

"Was there anything else?" Robin asked severely, nervous that she had meddled with something she shouldn't have.

Starfire began to explain with intimate detail her entire experience with Benjamin McElroy. It was a relief to finally tell someone, but also concerned her, for the more she spoke, the more Robin became anxious. When she finished, for some reason having not told him of her last encounter with him before she left, she looked at Robin, patiently awaiting his response.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Robin asked angrily.

Starfire frowned. "I am sorry, Robin."

He sighed. "Come on. We need to tell Raven."

When she had finished relaying her story, Raven harshly landed on the ground and stood from her meditative pose. She stared at Starfire angrily. "What have you done?!"

Robin's brows rose with surprise at the response. "What's wrong?"

"Starfire released Reaper!"

"Who's Reaper?" Robin asked. Starfire, all the while, had began shrinking away in shame, her head hanging low.

Raven went over to one of her shelves and pulled a book out. She flipped through several pages, passing the Ghost Map, Pariah Dark and several other informing pages until she came to the near end of the book. She then handed it to Robin, who read it consequently.

"What is this?" he asked.

"It's Reaper, otherwise known as 'Benjamin McElroy," she said, gesturing to Starfire, "the name he gave you. That was his name before his wife was murdered by a restless spirit. He vowed from then to rid the world of spirits and spent ten years trying to appease that vow, but was murdered by his partner before he could… that was a mistake. He died restless and became a spirit and in death, learned the secret. He killed his partner, his partner's family, and then went to the world of the dead to complete his vow. He was beaten, however, and frozen in ice to keep him from ever carrying out his vow. But now thanks to Starfire, he's free to continue his rampage! Robin, we have to find him and put him back and quickly!"

"How are we supposed to find him? We came upon the world of the dead by accident."

"That wolf knew the way," Raven suggested.

"Yeah, but it would take days to track him down to take us there."

"Well, there is another way…"

Robin looked at her.

"I heard recently of someone who created a portal into the world of the dead. They're 'Ghost Hunters'."

"Where can we find them?"

"Amity Park."


	3. Life Is Good

Danny Phantom flew silently over the city Amity Park, doing his daily checks. Things had been a little calmer in the ghost-fighting area ever since the asteroid. Most ghosts didn't bother him and some even seemed pleased to see him. It was a strange feeling, not to bed hated by anyone anymore. He was often 'attacked' by the press, but in a way he wasn't used to. Instead of pinning crimes on him, they were uplifting him.

He flew with the breeze on his face, thinking over all of the new things in his life. His parents didn't hunt him anymore, but instead had teamed up with him. It was a little awkward, to fight with them when for so long they had been attacking him unknowingly. All three of them were still nervous around each other and found conversation difficult, but the fact that they accepted him was a comfort and gave him hope that the nervousness would pass eventually.

The only down-side was the GIW, who had begun knocking on his door daily. His parents- and practically the entire town- had managed to keep them from bothering him too much, but they were still a nuisance. They'd often ask to do studies and tests on him for the good of science.

"You should be dead! Can you imagine if we were able to figure out what kept you alive? We could save lives!" one of the GIW agents had said one morning.

"I'm half-dead, you know," Danny answered irritably, trying get the door closed. One of the agents slammed a firm hand on it to keep it open.

"Half-dead or not," he said, their faces about a foot away from each other's, "that still makes you half-alive. With the data you could offer us- the world- we could save people from death."

Danny slammed the door shut with the agent's arm still pressed against it. The agent, though well-built, was no match for the halfa and hurt his arm in his attempts to keep the door open.

Danny recalled that day as he floated over a cloud thoughtfully. There was a certain amount of truth to what the agents had said, but giving people ghost-powers to save their lives seemed like a bad idea. In the wrong hands, it could turn out deadly. He knew that by experience. Vlad was proof of that. He also had to take into consideration that it was the GIW asking. For all he knew, they wanted to take his powers away… or worse. Still, he thought deeply over it with suggestion.

When he finished his rounds, he changed his course and headed towards Casper High.

He arrived a few minutes later and landed in the front yard. He was still getting used to being accepted, so the habit of hiding behind things while he transformed still lingered. He walked over to a tree to transform behind it when he was suddenly standing in front of ten to twenty people. They were talking and chattering so loud and quickly that he couldn't understand anything they were saying. He frowned in irritation as the mob of reporters began taking pictures and asking questions overwhelmingly.

He hated so much attention, especially after having for so long avoided it. At last when he couldn't handle any more, he phased through them and went into the school, closing the doors behind him. He sighed with relief, but when he looked up, he found a crowd of Casper High students staring at him. They turned away gradually, heading to their classes.

Sam and Tucker, when the hallway had relatively cleared, came over to stand beside him.

"Hey guys," Danny said.

"Hey. How was the flight?"

"Good," Danny answered. He allowed the formalities to continue for a couple more minutes. "So, Tuck, how's being Mayor going?"

"Great, except they won't let me skip school to focus to my duties. It's not really like I need it," he answered with a sigh of irritation.

"Agreed. Oh, by the way, Danny, the school upped all of your grades from the past year. They're calling it 'extra credit'," Sam said with a happy smile.

"That's great," Danny said uninterestedly and changed the subject. "We'd better get to class."

When he came into the classroom, all of the students stared at him fixedly, never breaking their gazes for a second. Ignoring them as much as was possible in such a small room, he was about to go to his desk when Mr. Lancer placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Mr. Fenton, don't forget this," he said, handing him a laminated piece of paper. On it were the words 'Phantom Pass'.

"What's this?"

"It's a pass that allows you to leave the classroom when needed, but don't expect any special treatment more than that."

Danny nodded and retreated to his seat, sinking low into it in an attempt to escape the eyes held mercilessly on him.

The day was long and fairly uneventful. He had only needed to use his Phantom Pass once- a personal record for him- and had managed to make decent grades without it being upped by the school board. At lunch, he and Sam sat together while they ate. Sam talked while Danny listened quietly, asking few questions and adding an occasional comment. He then continued the rest of the day's schooling with little hassle. All in all, he was pleased.

When the bell finally rang, releasing a shouting mass of bodies springing for the front doors, Danny quietly slipped around to the back with Sam and Tucker behind him. Mr. Lancer offered to keep the press busy for as long as he could so that he could sneak away undetected. Since he was a ghost and highly difficult to keep track of, news reporters had gotten a hold of some basic ghost-tracking equipment to keep up with his whereabouts, making it exceedingly difficult for him to find privacy and solitude.

As they quietly shut the back door of the school, Danny transformed and grabbed his friends by the arms. He then turned them invisible and flew up into the air, passing the journalists and reporters in the front of the school unobserved.

"Hey, Danny, would you drop me off in my office? I'd like to get some work done before we hang out."

"Sure, but I doubt we'll get a chance to hang out anyway. Not with the media following me everywhere," Danny said, flying into the white building below and dropping Tucker off in his new office. He then took Sam by both of the arms and flew back out of the room with a goodbye.

"Weird that Tuck's the Mayor now, huh?" Sam said thoughtfully, watching the white building fall behind them.

"A lot of things have changed," Danny said.

"For the better," Sam added, reaching up and kissing his chin. He smiled, his cheeks flushing.

Sam smiled and looked down at the ground below, then tilted her head in curiosity at the sight. "Hey, Danny, who's at your house?"

Danny looked down with annoyance, expecting the GIW again, but as he squinted to see the two vehicles parked on the curb, he stared down with curiosity and interest. "I don't know. Let's go see."


	4. A Trade For Vengeance

Penelope Spectra wandered the Ghost Zone aimlessly, looking for the missing Bertrand with irritation.

"Why did he have to run off like that? I promised him Kitty wouldn't give him a kiss again, for pities sake!" she griped to herself aloud, scanning the whirling purple and green sky. Finally, she caught a glimpse of something behind a rock on one of the floating islands nearby. She flew to it and began searching the island.

"Bertrand, you idiot, come out! She's not going to hurt you," she said. Again, she saw a movement behind another cluster of rocks. She followed it and looked around the cluster, but found no one.

"Alright, Bertrand this is getting ridiculous. How am I supposed to be beautiful without you sucking the energy for me?" She whirled around when she heard a click of a pebble being kicked. Behind her was a very tall boulder, perfect for the pest to hide behind. Quietly she approached it, keeping her back to it as she slid over to the side. She couldn't hear a thing, but was certain he was behind the stone. She paused for a few seconds and then jumped out, whirling around to face him. When he finally came into view, she jumped back in alarm, screaming in fright.

She had no time to turn and flee before he had grabbed her arms and pulled her close to him. "Penelope!"

"Benjamin!" she gasped in surprise, "How did you get out?!"

Benjamin stared down at her and didn't answer. Instead, he fell to the ground, releasing his grip on her wrists weakly and landing with his back against the wall of the boulder.

"Benjamin McElroy, you look like you did when you first died. Haven't you any sense to gather strength before wandering around? In your condition, they would have thrown you right back into the cell had they caught you!"

He looked up at her intolerantly and then revealed a medallion from under his shirt. This silenced any further comments she had up her sleeve- about his intelligence, at least.

"How did you get a time medallion?!" she asked. Her eyes were fixed on the object fervently, her desire for it publicized plainly on her face.

He grinned. "Do you want one?" he asked, revealing a second from a pocket on his pants. He showed it to her briefly and then concealed it again. She looked up at him longingly. "Please, can I have it?"

"For a price," he answered.

"If its strength you need, I'm sure Bertrand is around here somewhere," she said very seriously, glancing around.

"Very gracious of you," he said, "but Bertrand is a useful pawn, and one I do not wish to squander. No, I had someone else in mind. Someone who might perhaps alleviate my restless, vengeful soul," he said, grinding his teeth, as though he were being physically tormented by the thought.

"Vengeance?" she asked, pausing a moment to consider. "I'm sure I could help you in exchange for that pretty thing in your pocket."

"You can find him, then?"

"Better. I can find his girlfriend," she said. "Have you got enough strength to move or shall I bring her to you?"

"I have only what's left of a creature called a 'Box Ghost' left, and I'm going to need what meager strength it gave me."

"Alright. I'll bring her to you, then. Stay here and try not to tire yourself. I'll return soon," she said. She flew up into the swirling purple and disappearing past Benjamin's sight. He watched the skies cautiously as he awaited her return, for if he were spotted he would have little chance of defending himself. As he sat, he mused over the revolting existence he was cursed to endure. He looked at the blue-skinned hands which were his own and grimaced with bitterness and disgust. He missed the veins flowing with fresh blood that he had taken for granted. He missed his heart that had once moved up and down in a rhythmic, reassuring motion. He stared down at what was left of it, the now silent and still decoration in the gaping wound.


	5. Heroes Like Me

After transforming to insure he received no uncomfortable stares from his family, Danny, followed closely by Sam, entered Fenton works and went into the living room to find Jack, Maddie and Jazz talking with five odd-looking strangers.

A green-skinned, pointy-eared creature looked at them as they entered and jumped to his feet. "Hey, guys, it's that Danny Phantom dude!"

Danny watched the creature energetically fidget with curiosity. They didn't quite look like ghosts, but most of them didn't look human either, except for the one sitting fairly quiet in a caped red and green jumpsuit with a black mask over his eyes. The extremely tall man standing beside him –mildly reminding Danny of Skulker- had some human qualities, except for the mechanical body. The two females, he couldn't say; one having orange-tinted skin and the other wearing a hooded cape that prevented him from seeing much of her.

He looked at the strangers and then at his parents. "Who are these guys?" Danny asked them inquiringly.

"I'm Robin," said the apparent leader, standing from the couch and nodding his head in greeting to him. "This is my team, Starfire, Raven, Cyborg and Beast Boy," he said, gesturing to each accordingly.

Danny nodded briefly and looked at his parents for further explanation.

"They're the Teen Titans," Jack said excitedly.

"Who?" Sam asked.

Jazz answered before any of the titans could put in a word, "They protect people like Danny does."

"Why haven't we heard of you guys before?" Danny asked.

"Probably for the same reason we never heard of _you_ before. It's not good politics to talk about a city's supernatural problems," Cyborg answered with a good-humored smile.

"What are you guys doing here?" Sam asked interestedly.

"We need a guide through the world of the dead," Raven said.

"You mean the Ghost Zone?" Danny asked.

Robin nodded, dismissing their apparent uneducated knowledge of the paranormal universe with a slight wave of his hand.

"They asked _us_, but we thought since you've been in there so many times before and know more about it than we do, that you should take them around," Maddie suggested.

Danny looked from his mother to the titans thoughtfully. "Why do you guys want in the Ghost Zone?"

They glanced at each other nervously. Starfire's head lowered and she opened her mouth to speak before quickly interrupted by Robin. "We were tracking what we think was a spirit, but we lost him. We know where he might be hiding in the 'Ghost Zone', but don't know how to get there."

"Who were you tracking? What did it look like?"

"It was a wolf," Robin said.

"Wulf?" Sam said to Danny.

"I just said it was a wolf."

"No, that's the wolf's name: Wulf."

"That's lame," Beast Boy commented.

"You know it?" Robin asked.

Danny nodded. "He's helped me out."

"Do you know what language it was talking? It tried to communicate to us, but we couldn't understand him."

"Spanish," Danny answered and then looked at him inquiringly. "What are you hunting _him_ for?" he asked a little aggressively.

Robin hesitated, momentarily setback by the question. Finally, someone else spoke.

"Hey, listen we're kind of in a hurry," Cyborg said, commandeering the conversation, "So if you could just take us to a couple of spots in the Ghost Zone and let us look around, we'd really appreciate it."

Danny stared at Robin a few seconds longer, trying to figure out what was making him anxious. Finally, he looked at Cyborg and nodded. "I'll help you. Do you know where you're going?"

"Kind of," Cyborg answered, taking a stone slab from the single bag on the floor and showing it to Danny. "This is where we want to go. We tried finding this portal up here, but didn't have any luck."

Danny examined the stone thoughtfully, noting the apparent map had been burned into the rock, rather than etched.

"Where is that?" Sam asked, looking at the slab over his shoulder. He shrugged. "I don't recognize any of this, but I could probably find it if Frostbite would let me borrow the Infi-Map."

"Great. Let's go."

"Now?" Danny asked, looking up; interested and started at the hurriedness of the strangers, not that there was much else to be done at this point but leave. It was the way they all seemed fidgety and agitated. They glanced around nervously. The leader, Robin, seemed decidedly edgy and apprehensive.

"Yeah. We kind of need to get back to Jump City as soon as we can. It's not going to protect itself… or at least I hope it doesn't; otherwise we're out of a job," Cyborg said with a laugh. He was the most relaxed of the group, undeterred by whatever was bothering the rest of them.

"You can take the Specter Speeder," Maddie said.

"Thanks." It was an odd thing, to receive permission to take the Specter Speeder. A month ago, he would have just snuck down to the basement and taken it. It was almost humorous that she thought he needed consent, but appreciated nonetheless.

He led the titans down to the basement.

"This is high-tech stuff in here," Cyborg said, glancing around at the weapons and gadgets.

"Yeah, this stuff is awesome! What's this do?" Beast Boy asked, going over to one of the tables and reaching over to grab a gadget.

Sam rushed over and pushed his hand away. "Don't touch that! That's the Fenton Crammer."

"What's it do?"

"Shrinks ghosts. So don't touch it! Danny had a hard time getting back to normal last time."

"Ooo! Shrinks stuff? That's awesome!" he said, eyeing the gadget longingly.

"You shouldn't have told him that," Cyborg said to her.

"Okay, go ahead and get in the Specter Speeder over there. I'll be flying right beside you," Danny said. He, a little uncomfortably, formed the white rings around his waist and transformed into Danny Phantom. He paused and stared at the titans for a response. He wasn't sure how they would react or if they would react at all, considering they were all as… _odd_ as he was.

Beast Boy smiled excitedly. "Dude, that's an awesome look! I wonder how I would look with white hair?" he asked aloud, taking one of the short locks and pulling it down to his eyes.

"Alright; Starfire, Beast Boy, you two stay here. Cyborg and Raven go ahead and get in the Specter Speeder."

"What?! I can't go?!" Beast Boy asked disbelievingly. Starfire lowered her head sadly, but didn't say anything.

"Sorry, Beast Boy, but we need to get in there and get out."

"And you're not exactly one to travel through an alternate realm quietly and quickly," Raven added.

"I promise I won't be trouble. Come on! Please, please, please!"

While the argument continued, Sam and Danny grabbed a few things they thought they would need; the Fenton Thermos, the Fenton Phones, and the Fenton Gauntlets just to be safe. As he checked each off in his mind after retrieving them, he rolled his eyes at the "clever" titles his parents had given them. He put one in his ear, put the other in the Specter Speeder and then turned to the titans.

"Sorry, Beast Boy. Maybe next time," Cyborg said after the short argument had cooled down, getting into the Specter Speeder.

"Everyone ready?" Danny asked.

"Wait," Sam said as she came beside him. "What about Tucker? Do you want to call him and tell him?"

He shook his head. "These guys are in a hurry. We should probably get going."

"Okay," Sam said, jumping into the Specter Speeder's front seat giving Danny a thumbs up.

He opened the Ghost Portal door and flew into the swirling green, the Specter Speeder following shortly after him.

The two titans stood in the basement watching them leave sadly, but there was something about the way the orange-skinned titan acted. She looked ashamed, deserving to stay behind.

Danny glanced back at her before flying into the Ghost Zone.

The three remaining titans stared out the windows of the Specter Speeder, observing the surroundings with interest… and caution.

"So, you guys have been in the Ghost Zone before?" Danny said into the Fenton Phone in his ear. The other was hooked up to a speaker in the Specter Speeder so that he could hear and talk to all of them.

"Yes," Raven answered, keeping her eyes fixed on the window, scanning the distance alertly.

Danny flew uncomfortably silent. Since they were obviously going to submit as few details as possible as to what they were doing (recalling earlier when Cyborg had directly avoided answering what they were chasing Wulf for), he changed the subject. "I know this is kind of a lame question, but do you guys have secret identities?" It had been at the back of his mind since they had gotten there.

"Nope. All hero," Cyborg answered. "We eat and sleep at our headquarters," he said, then paused, "… but then again, so do you." He chuckled.

"Don't you get tired of being a hero all of the time?"

"Didn't _you_ get tired of hiding half of yourself all the time?"

"Touché."

Cyborg laughed. "It does sometimes, man. I wish I could do what you do and go from hero to average-Joe whenever I wanted," he said, looking at his mechanical arm sadly. "But it's cool. Now, Robin, on the other hand, he couldn't function an hour as a civilian! All he ever thinks about is saving the world," Cyborg said, elbowing Robin companionably.

"That's not true," Robin said.

"Oh yeah? What about that one time we went to Tokyo? You didn't waste one minute of your time! Not one! That's just sad, man."

"Yes, he did," Raven said.

The two looked at her. "When?"

Raven looked at Robin. "Starfire took you up to that-"

"We were just talking," Robin interrupted, his cheeks suddenly flushing red.

"Sounds like wasting time to me. What'd you talk about?"

Robin sighed, rolling his eyes and turning to stare out the window. "It was nothing. Let it go."

"Aw, come on, man!"

Danny and Sam glanced at each other and smiled, having been momentarily left out of the conversation, they turned to each other for company. Sam's eyes briefly turned away from Danny's and widened. "Hey, Danny, what's that over there on that island?"

Danny looked down at the various islands until he spotted what Sam must have been looking at. He stared at it a moment thoughtfully, then looked up at the passengers of the Specter Speeder. "I'll be right back. Sam, keep a look out."

She nodded.

Danny flew down to the island and landed, glancing around cautiously for any unwelcome visitors. There didn't appear to be anyone around, so he approached the mass of blue Sam had pointed out to him. As he got closer, the more he began to recognize what it was. A blue-skinned, darker blue-haired figure lied on the ground, silent and unmoving. He grew closer still, keeping his guard up and glancing around cautiously. Finally, he had gotten close enough to fully appreciate what he was seeing. The figure was familiar… and was lying in a small pool of green blood. He stood over it and stared down at the paralyzed face with wide eyes.

"Ember?"


	6. Problems

**Author's Note: Sorry how long this chapter took. I was having some trouble with it and have been really busy. I'll try to get the next chapter out quicker.**

"Sam! Get down here now!" Danny said, kneeling down and turning Ember over onto her back. He gasped at what he saw and called Sam to hurry.

The Specter Speeder flew down and landed on the island. Sam jumped out from it, followed by the titans. When they came, their faces turned pale and they each became quiet. Their eyes gazed down at the wound on her chest, a gaping slit with green blood flowing out like waterfalls just above her left breast where her heart _should_ have been, but was now missing.

"What happened to her?" Cyborg asked.

Danny shrugged, staring at her face. She was, however impossible it was… dead.

As he stared at her with wide, confused eyes, he noticed that she was fringing on invisibility, like she was slowly fading away. The more he watched, the more she began to disappear.

"What's happening?" Robin asked, watching with confusion and alarm.

Danny shrugged helplessly.

"Danny, what's going on?" Sam asked, gazing in terror as Danny's hands- which had been lying on her arm- slipped through to the ground.

"I don't know!" Danny shouted in panic, unable to do anything. Slowly, Ember faded away until she was completely gone. All that remained was the puddle of green blood that had spilled from her wound.

They stared, eyes wide with bewilderment and stupefaction. It was incomprehensible what had just happened before their eyes. It wasn't possible.

Danny remained where he was, expression blank and uncomprehending. He almost felt remorse for her.

Raven stared down at the ground where Ember had been lying and then at Danny. "We need to go. Now."

Danny turned and looked up at her with censure. "What?"

"Get up. We need to leave now," she repeated sternly.

"What's wrong with you?" Sam said angrily. "Didn't you see what just happened? Ember's..." she stopped, unsure of how to phrase what had just occurred.

"I saw what happened and that's why we need to leave right now," Raven said; her voice steady and bearings collected. "That wound was fresh."

As soon as she said it, all eyes began looking around nervously.

Finally, Sam asked, "Do you think it's still here?" She scanned the jagged rocks sticking up from the island and the sky with fear.

"Doubt it. He probably fled the scene as soon as he could," Robin returned, kneeling down and staring at the ground intently. He ran his hand gently over the rock.

"He?"

"It," Robin looked down at the ground, "Cyborg, samples."

Cyborg nodded, knelt down and got a small sample of blood from the green pool.

Danny and Sam watched the titans naturally take in everything around them and get to work doing their jobs. Robin appeared to be looking for tracks while Cyborg was gathering as much data as possible. Raven stood quietly watching, but it was assumed that she was probably more useful in a threatening situation.

After quickly gathering everything they needed, the five returned to the Specter Speeder. Danny grabbed Sam's arm before she could get in. "Sam, I need you to take them back to Fenton Works."

"What?"

Danny frowned as Robin came to them with a severe, inquiring look on his masked face.

"I can't take you guys to the island."

"Why not?" Robin asked harshly.

"A ghost just… died! That doesn't happen. It _can't_ happen, so until I can figure out what's going on I need to take you guys back."

"Thanks for trying to be a hero, but taking us where we need to go is more important than you understand right now, so unless you want _that_ to happen again," he said, gesturing to where they had found Ember's body, "you need to take us as to that island now!"

Danny stared at him. "You know what killed Ember?"

Robin suddenly became quiet, impeded by his own outburst.

"What's going on?" Danny asked firmly.

"Uh… let's talk about it _after_ we get out of here," Cyborg suddenly interrupted, gesturing to the Specter Speeder urgently.

Danny ignored him and glared at Robin. "What happened to Ember?"

"Reaper."

Danny looked at Raven. "What?"

"A ghost called Reaper killed her. He was accidentally released yesterday," Raven answered.

"By you guys?"

"Starfire," Cyborg stated.

"That's why you left her?" Sam asked. She received a nod in answer.

"He's been out one day and has already started killing," Robin said.

"Which is why we need you to take us to this island as quickly as possible," Cyborg added.

Danny looked at the three titans angrily. "I guess you're not after Wulf, then?"

Robin shook his head. "He was the one that led us in here the first time, which is how Starfire came in contact with Reaper."

"When you say 'Reaper' do you mean, '_the_ Reaper'?" Sam asked.

"No," Raven returned bluntly.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Danny asked angrily.

"We didn't think he'd get enough strength to be much of a threat," Robin said. "He's regaining power faster than we thought he would."

Danny ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "Maybe if you had told me in the first place Ember wouldn't be dead!"

"If you want to stand here all day and risk more death, fine, but we're going to go stop this spirit! With or without your help," Robin said angrily.

Danny glared irately at him, but knew Robin was right. Arguments wouldn't get them anywhere at this point. Running his hand through his hair again, ruffling it into a mess, he sighed in resignation. "Okay. I'll take you."

Robin nodded satisfactorily, turned and boarded the Specter Speeder. Raven, Cyborg and Sam boarded as well.

--

After what felt like an eternity of flying through the Ghost Zone in a dead silence, Danny turned to look in the Specter Speeder at the four passengers. "We're here," he said. He began flying downwards toward a snow-covered island.

"Where is _here_ exactly?" Cyborg asked, looking out the window at the glaciers of ice and snow.

"Far Frozen. This is where Frostbite lives. He's a friend of mine."

"Right. So why are we here?"

"We need the Infi-map. That's the only way I'm going to be able to find that island."

"So Frostbite has the Infi-map?"

Danny nodded. He landed on the snowy surface and began walking, glancing around for any of Frostbite's men. They didn't walk too long before they came upon a quiet clearing dotted with several ice-buildings. The titans looked at them with interest… and concern.

"These look empty," Robin stated.

Danny looked around confusedly, noticing this oddity as well. He lifted up his knees and flew into one of the buildings. After a few moments, he came out and flew into a second building. Shortly, he returned to the Specter Speeder, shaking his head with curiosity. "They may just be at the arena," he said. "Follow me." He began flying past the buildings, the Specter Speeder following close behind him.

Raven looked out the window. "I don't sense anyone here."

"Maybe that's because they're spirits," Cyborg offered.

She shook her head. "No. I can sense spirits, too."

Robin looked at her. "So there's no one here?"

She nodded. "Just us."

When Danny at last came around to the arena, it only proved Raven's statement true. It was empty. Quiet.

Landing and scanning the area confusedly, he could find nothing. They were the only ones there. He looked back into the Specter Speeder. "What's going on?" He lifted off of the ground again and flew to one of the largest buildings.

Sam landed the Specter Speeder outside, got out and followed Danny into the building. The three titans got out as well and scanned the area.

Robin turned to Cyborg and Raven. "He was here?"

Cyborg shrugged. "There could be a lot of explanations for why they're not here. We can't know for sure."

Robin glanced around the ground, looking for any more puddles of blood, but fortunately could find none. After a few minutes of discussing the dilemma amongst themselves, Danny flew out of the building with a puzzled look on his face.

"I couldn't find anyone! Or the Infi-map!" Danny said.

"What do we do now?" Cyborg asked.

He shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. I can't get you guys to that island without the Infi-map." He paused and thought for a moment, trying to decide what to do next. "Clockwork!"

"Who?"

"A ghost that controls time. He could find them."

"Where do we find him?" Robin asked.

"Follow me. I know where he is."


	7. Tofu Sandwiches

Beast Boy sat on the Fenton's living room couch with a frown on his face, his ears low like a puppy. "Man! This stinks."

"Robin knows what he is doing," Starfire said.

"You two want anything to eat or drink?" Maddie asked hospitably. The two titans had been waiting there for half an hour, but neither the titans nor Danny and Sam had returned.

"No, thank you," Starfire said.

"Do you have any tofu sandwiches?"

"Uh…"

Beast Boy sighed disappointedly. "Nobody ever has tofu sandwiches."

"How about… an apple?" Maddie offered.

"Sure," he accepted unhappily.

"Do not worry, Beast Boy. Our friends will soon return victorious," Starfire reassured him. "I only wish I could have joined them to redeem myself."

Maddie looked at her with interest. "What do you mean?"

Starfire sighed. "It is nothing. Only a terrible mistake I made."

The innocent character of the orange-skinned girl caused Maddie's motherly instincts to kick in. She went and sat down next to her on the couch. "Well, I'm sure it wasn't that bad, sweetie," she said kindly.

Starfire looked at her. "Oh, but it was! They were so angry with me. Especially Robin."

"What did you do?"

"Fine. I guess I'll get my _own_ apple!" Beast Boy exasperated, getting off of the couch and stomping grumpily into the kitchen in search of an apple.

Maddie watched him curiously and then looked at Starfire again.

"I do not think I should tell you."

"Why not?"

"Robin would not want me to."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind," Maddie said. "And if it makes you feel better, I promise not to tell anyone."

"Well, if you promise."

She nodded.

Starfire opened her mouth to speak when Beast Boy came in and plopped himself on the couch again, an apple in his hand. He took small bites out of it indifferently, obviously bored out of his mind.

"Beast Boy?" Maddie said.

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you go ask Jack what a Fenton Fisher is?"

His ears perked and he seemed to regain some of his usual energetic vigor. He stood and hurried down into the basement.

When he had completely left their sight, Maddie turned to Starfire again.

Starfire had barely gotten her first word out when the front door opened.

"Danny! I have some news! There are some super-heroes coming to-" Tucker stopped abruptly when he came into the living room and saw Starfire and Maddie, though his eyes were locked onto Starfire. "Wow," he muttered.

"Hello, Tucker. This is Starfire," Maddie said.

"N-nice to me-meet you," he said, staring at her with big eyes. Starfire giggled, stood and went to shake his hand. "It is wonderful to meet you."

He took the hand hesitantly and shook it, eyes unwaveringly held on hers. "Very nice to meet you."

"Tucker!" Maddie said, clearing her throat to get his attention. He looked at her, momentarily broken from his trance.

"Um… Danny, Sam and the other titans headed out into the Ghost Zone about half an hour ago."

"What for?"

"To defeat an evil spirit that I accidentally released," Starfire said.

"Cool… wait, they left already? Man! I wanted to go," Tucker sighed disappointedly.

"An evil spirit?" Maddie asked. She suddenly looked concerned. "It wasn't called Pariah Dark, was it?" she asked. Danny hold told his parents about everything that had happened to him since he had gained his powers, so they were now fully aware of all of the ghosts and what they were capable of.

"No. Raven said that he was called Reaper."

Maddie sighed with relief. "Oh, good." She laughed. "That's a relief. Now, that doesn't sound too bad."

"It does not? Raven said that it was horrible."

Maddie gave her a curious look. "Why is it so horrible?"

"Because he's a serial killer that kills ghosts," Beast Boy said. He had just come back from viewing some of the gadgets from the basement and wandered in on their conversation. "Hey, Star, I thought we weren't supposed to tell anybody about that."

"A ghost that kills other ghosts?" Maddie asked. "Wouldn't that mean that-" Her eyes went wide. "Oh, no."

Starfire gazed at her curiously. "What is it?"

"Danny's in danger!" she said. She ran quickly downstairs into the basement and went searching through all of the gadgets urgently.

Jack watched her curiously, standing back so that he wouldn't get in her way. "What are you doing?" he finally asked.

Beast Boy and Starfire came down and began to watch her scramble about the room as well with bewilderment.

"Jack, where are the Fenton Phones?!" she asked.

"Danny took them," he answered. "Why?"

"Because Danny's in danger."

After taking a few minutes to explain the situation, though making sure to not mention the fact that Starfire had released the evil spirit, she looked at him fearfully. "Jack, Danny's in danger. And not like he always in when he goes off to fight ghosts. That ghost can kill him! Both his human and ghost side! We could lose him forever! We have to find him!"

"I will go and look for him," Starfire volunteered. "Perhaps I can redeem myself by saving him."

"I'll go, too! Not to redeem myself. I just want to go," Beast Boy said.

"You don't know how to find him."

"Tucker does," Jack said, looking at Tucker, who was standing in the stairway of the basement watching them. "I think he recently mapped out the ghost zone with that techno-thingie he has."

"Okay. I think the Specter Speeder is connected to the computer, so Jack and I will try to contact them from here," she said as she went to one of the shelves and grabbed a pair of walkie-talkie's and handed one to Starfire. "Keep in contact with us the entire time. Tucker- Tucker, pay attention!" she said, snapping her fingers at him. He stopped staring amazedly at Beast Boy and Starfire and looked at Maddie.

"Tucker, you're gong with them. Lead them to Frostbite with your PDA."

"But- but the Specter Speeder isn't here!" Tucker said, disoriented by all of the excitement. Maddie had somewhat explained what was going on, but there were still some questions unanswered; one being the two superheroes in her basement.

"Don't worry about it, Dude," Beast Boy said, "I'll carry you."

"But… you're shorter than- whoa!" he gasped as Beast Boy morphed into a pterodactyl, knocking things off of their shelves with his long wings.

"Oops. Sorry."

Maddie looked at Starfire intensely. "When you find him, you tell him everything you told me and you make sure he comes back. Okay?"

Starfire nodded. "I will do my best."

Maddie nodded satisfactorily and looked at Tucker. "Tucker, if Danny doesn't listen to Starfire, you talk to him and bring him back."

"Okay, Mrs. Fenton," Tucker said.

"Alright. Walkie-talkie's, PDA, anything else?"

"Do you have any more thermoses?" Tucker asked.

"Sorry. We're working on them, but they're not finished yet. Here, though. Take the Fenton Fisher," she said, handing the metal-green fishing pole to Tucker.

"Hurry back," Jack said.

Tucker flinched nervously as Beast Boy flew up and grabbed his arms with his talons. Then the three flew out into the Ghost Zone. Tucker pulled out his PDA and handed the Fenton Fisher to Starfire for a few seconds. "Okay… uh…" he stuttered nervously, finding it difficult to concentrate, being more interested in the two heroes flying him around the Ghost Zone. "Go… that way… uh…"

"Beast Boy," the pterodactyl said.

"Oh. Okay, go that way, Beast Boy," he said, pointing in the direction he wanted them to go. He wriggled uncomfortably, the talons tightly holding his arms.

Starfire flew over to him and took him from Beast Boy's grasp. "Here, I will carry him. That way you do not get tired, Beast Boy," she said.

"Thanks!" Beast Boy said gratefully and began flying with a little more ease.

The two titans and Tucker flew hurriedly through the Ghost Zone, hoping to find Danny, Sam and the other titans before they managed to find Reaper.


	8. Ignored Warnings

Clockwork stared at the large clock that reflected any time-line he required angrily, watching the events of the all-too-near future powerlessly. He leaned weakly against his staff, several wounds and bruises on his body, as he contemplated deeply over the crisis at hand. At this point, there was little he could do.

As he stared up at the clock, he heard something behind him. He turned; his time staff in his hand ready to be used, though if it was who he was guessing, it wouldn't be very useful. He wasn't quite sure why he would come back, though. He wondered if maybe he had changed his mind when a familiar white-haired, green-eyed boy appeared from behind a pillar.

"Danny Phantom, I am glad to see you," he said tiredly, changing into a child.

"Are you alright?" Danny asked, flying over to him and helping him stand. He looked at a large gash in his side nervously. "What happened to you?"

Clockwork was about to answer when he noticed four other figures standing in the shadows of his clocks. "Who is with you?"

"The Teen Titans," Danny said. "And Sam."

"Ah, the Teen Titans," he said, recognizing them now as they came into the light to where they were.

"Hey, kid, are you alright?" Cyborg asked, but gasped when he suddenly changed into an old man.

"What happened to you, Clockwork?" Danny asked.

Clockwork sighed. "It's a very long story."

"Why didn't he kill you?" Robin suddenly asked.

"Ah, so you already know it."

"Why didn't Reaper kill you?" Robin asked again.

"Oh, he tried, I assure you, but he hasn't gained enough strength to beat me, yet," Clockwork answered. "He will, though. Soon." He pointed with his staff to the clock where he had been watching Reaper.

"That's him?" Sam asked. The creature was fairly well built with blue skin, red eyes, and veins bulging beneath his skin and grey jumpsuit. On his chest was an unmoving heart, bare and vulnerable where all of his veins connected. His hair was black with a red highlight in the front like a blaze on a horse. He wore black gloves and boots, a cool grey jumpsuit that had a few darker-colored triangle patterns and a black cape that was white on the inside. He also held a cane- which he obviously didn't need- with a red ball at the top.

"Yes, that's him," Clockwork said.

"He's not as strong as he looked in my book," Raven commented.

"No, but even in his weak state he's managed to kill four ghosts already."

"We saw one of the ones he killed," Danny said.

"We're here to find him," Robin said.

Clockwork looked at him. "You're planning to stop him?"

Robin nodded.

He looked at Danny. "I wouldn't suggest it. Only one has ever fought Reaper and succeeded."

"We weren't around then," Robin said.

"Don't start this, Robin. I've seen how stubborn you are," Clockwork said. "I warn you do not fight this ghost. Go home. Reaper will be taken care of by the one who first fought him."

"Who's that?" Danny asked.

"Skulker," Clockwork answered.

"Skulker?" Cyborg asked.

Clockwork gestured to the clock and showed them the metallic, body-armored ghost briefly. "Were it not for Reaper, Skulker would never have made his suit."

"How is Skulker going to stop him?"

"One; Reaper can't get to his heart and two-"

"This is a waste of time! He's probably killing as we speak and it's _my _fault!" Robin said angrily.

"What do you mean your fault? I thought Starfire did it," Danny said.

"I'm responsible for my team. I shouldn't have let her wander off alone!" Robin looked at Clockwork. "Either help us find him or we'll find him ourselves."

Clockwork sighed. "The best thing to do is to wait for him at his home."

"Which is where?" Raven asked.

"The Infi-map will help you find it."

"Except that we can't find Infi-map. All of the Far Frozen is missing!" Danny said.

"Yeah, we went to that frozen island they live at and couldn't find any of them," Cyborg added.

"Don't worry; they're safe… for the time being. They're actually in a meeting with the Observants and most of the other ghosts. They're discussing what's to be done with Reaper once he's caught, since now he's managed to escape his last prison; he's going to be eliminated… permanently. Unfortunately, we don't know how to _kill_ ghosts."

"Why not give him a taste of his own medicine and do what he's doing?" Cyborg suggested.

"We've tried. That seems to only strengthen him. He's a mysterious being."

"What about the Infi-map?" Robin asked, growing impatient.

"The Infi-map is here with me for safe-keeping."

"Why? Reaper seemed to know his way around well enough," Raven asked, referring to the stone slab he had made a small map on. "Why would he want it?"

"He knows most of the Ghost Zone, but times have changed. The Ghost Zone has changed, and he'll need to relearn all that he's lost over the years. The Infi-map can help him with that."

"Then is it okay if we use it?" Sam asked.

"As long as you keep it with you, Sam, it will stay safe," Clockwork answered.

Sam gave him an interested look. "Me?"

He nodded and then looked at the others. "If you must confront Reaper, then I advice you urgently; do not fight him. Find him and catch him, but do _not_ fight him. He will beat you easily."

"Fine," Robin said. "Will you tell us where he is, now?"

Clockwork sighed and nodded. He, changing into an adult, went over to a shelf where he kept a thermos and what looked like a scroll. He grabbed this and handed it to Sam. "Do not let him take this from you, under no circumstances."

Sam nodded, took the map from his hand and opened it. "Okay, so where is his home?"

Clockwork looked over her shoulder at the map and pointed at one of the islands portrayed on it. "Here."

Sam nodded. "Okay, everybody get in the Specter Speeder," she said, gesturing to it.

The three titans boarded, Sam joining them shortly afterwards. "Keep close, Danny," she said.

Danny nodded and looked back at Clockwork, who was frowning at them sadly. He stared at him for a moment and then turned to leave, but not before Clockwork had warned them once again; "Do _not_ fight him, Danny Phantom."

Danny looked at him again, nodded, and flew over to the Specter Speeder, which had now lifted off of the ground. "We ready?"

Sam nodded and opened the Infi-map again. Suddenly a portal opened in front of them. Sam drove the Specter Speeder into it, Danny following quickly behind them. Clockwork watched them disappear into the portal with a frown on his face. He sighed and returned to his clock to watch their progress, knowing that if it came down to it, he would be powerless to help them.


	9. Traps

They had not flown for long before they found what was assumed to be Reaper's home- which didn't turn out to be much of one-. It resembled that of a burned down house that had nothing left but the basic foundation and the charred remains of what was probably furniture. The remains of the house sat on a fairly large island with several tall pillars of rocks jutting out of the ground like a forest.

"What happened here?" Sam asked.

"Reaper's partner murdered him by setting his house on fire with him in it," Raven answered.

She nodded, feeling a brief sense of empathy for him.

"Doesn't give him the right to kill," Robin returned. "Even if it _is_ ghosts he's killing."

The Teen Titans, Sam and Danny stood amongst the ruins, studying everything intently. They had found no sign of Reaper so far and guessed that he had not been there since he had escaped, which unfortunately meant that this would be one of his next stops, giving them little time to plan.

"We could fan out around the rocks," Cyborg said. "Set a trap over here in the house."

"What kind of trap?" Danny asked.

"Uh… I don't know. We need something that will immobilize him."

"Danny could freeze him," Sam suggested.

"That might work, but we need a backup plan in case it doesn't," Robin said. "Any ideas?"

"Why would Reaper come here?" Sam asked suddenly, the thought having been eating at the back of her mind for quite some time now.

No one answered.

"Isn't it kind-of dumb of him to come here? Wouldn't he suspect a trap?"

"It doesn't matter _why_ he's coming and it doesn't matter if he _does_ suspect a trap," Robin said, "He's coming and we need to be ready."

--

It was eventually decided that if the freezing didn't work that they would lead him to some booby-traps placed systematically around the island and suck him into the thermos. They were so strongly advised not to fight him that it left them with little options, so they could only hope that one of their plans worked.

The teens had paired up and left in opposite directions to place the booby-traps. Cyborg and Robin had paired up and Raven insisted on going alone, which had left Danny with Sam, to his relief. He hid the small devices Cyborg had given him behind boulders, buried in the dirt with a specific rock over it so that he could identify it. All the while, he listened to Sam obsess over the question she had asked earlier.

"What is the point of coming here? Did he leave something?"

"I don't know," he answered distractedly.

"He's got to be smart enough to suspect something. Why risk coming here?" she asked to no one. She looked at Danny and for the first time since they had separated with the titans noticed that he hadn't been listening.

"You didn't hear a word I just said did you?"

He answered the same answer he had been giving her for the past ten minutes; "I don't know," then stopped and turned around. He smiled impishly at her.

"It's not funny, Danny. This is important!" she said as he began to laugh.

"Sorry… go on. I'm listening," he said, clearing his throat and looking at her jokingly serious.

She rolled her eyes at him and opened her mouth to continue when her eyes diverted up past him. She froze, her eyes widened and she whispered slowly, "Reaper…"

Danny stopped and whirled around, his hands tightening into fists in preparation for a fight. His eyes went wide as they traveled up the figure before him until he met with the red eyes staring down fixedly at him. For a few seconds, he couldn't move, momentarily stunned by the beat-less heart on his chest. He looked stronger than he had when Clockwork had showed him; he was more muscular.

Reaper stared down at him with a wild look in his eyes, arms raised above his head, hands holding the staff pointed blade down towards Danny's chest.

The second he had lost cost him. He jumped to the side as Reaper brought the blade down, slicing a long gash into his arm. Danny grasped the wound in pain, but had little time to fully recover before Reaper was attacking him again with fast waves of his staff. Danny began backing away, ducking from the blade while subconsciously hearing screams and shouts from around him.

He felt the wind of the blade that glinted from a non-existent light as it was swung across his stomach, inches away from penetration. He stumbled backwards, losing his footing, which gave Reaper a brief opportunity to strike. Missing once more by inches, he created a slice leading up from just above Danny's chest to his collarbone.

The duel didn't last more than ten seconds before the titans had run up, distracting the crazed phantom momentarily. He turned from Danny, the blood-lined blade dripping as he faced the new enemy approaching. The titans did not fight him, as instructed, but instead tried to divert his attention on them (the first plan having already failed for Danny's injuries; he stumbling backwards and leaning in pain against a pillar for a moment to recover) and lead him to their traps.

He was disinterested in all of them, staying close to his injured victim and only ever walking a few feet away to strike at his new assailants.

Robin threw several freeze disks at him, but Reaper managed to jump out of the way of each with a fair amount of ease, only mildly affected by the attack with some frost on his arms and legs.

For some reason, Reaper seemed undeterred by the new attackers. He nonchalantly dodged the blue rays of the gun on Cyborg's arm, and casually stepped aside as Raven lifted pillars from the ground and sent them hurtling towards him, though he was a bit more vigorous in his defenses against Robin's freeze disks.

The fight became more difficult when Sam ran to the Specter Speeder and grabbed the thermos. She aimed it at him and activated it, a blue ray bursting from it. Reaper flew away from this quickly, an unusual nervousness in his eye.

As soon as Danny had regained enough strength to begin shooting ice-blasts at him, they actually began making him retreat, jumping away and hiding behind pillars.

At one point, Danny thought for sure he had seen another ghost somewhere off in the distance, watching the battle, but he wasn't quite sure.

Reaper glanced at the five attackers thoughtfully for a moment, studying them rapidly before dodging away from another attempt to suck him into the thermos. He landed a few feet away from the ray only to be blasted in the arm with ice, immediately freezing it. He gasped and jumped behind a pillar, growling in annoyance. He stared at his arm and then lifted into the air.

Robin watched him fly off into the Ghost Zone and turned to Raven, who picked him up by the arms and began chasing after him. Danny meanwhile took the thermos from Sam.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"Stay here," he said.

"What?!" she asked indignantly.

Ignoring her, he flew to the Specter Speeder, grabbed the Ghost Gauntlets, stuffed them into his backpack and then went off to grab Cyborg. Presently, he flew off after Reaper, who would occasionally glance back to see if they were still following. They were right behind him and closing the gap quickly. He flew past doors and islands, dodging blasts of ice and blue, green and black bolts –though being sure to slow a little when he began to lose them- when he had last stopped, opened an ancient-looking door and shut it behind him.

Raven and Robin were the first to enter after him. They came into a seemingly endless hall filled with pillars and shadows. Reaper was nowhere in sight; probably hiding behind one of the ancient stone pillars in the dark, cold room.

"Now what?" Raven asked.

Robin looked behind him. "Raven…"

She turned and both of them stared confusedly. Where there should have been the door they had just entered through, there were only more pillars with no sign of any of the four walls that were certain to be around somewhere.

"Where'd the door go?" Robin asked.

Raven looked around the room and put a hand on one of the pillars. "Reminds me of the time Mad Mod trapped us in that school."

Robin cringed at the memory and began looking around. "He wouldn't have come in here unless he knew how to get out…" he paused in thought. "We find him we find the exit."

Raven nodded in agreement and began following him through the dark hall.

--

Danny and Cyborg flew in a few minutes after Robin and Raven had and found the exact same thing. Endless rows of pillars in a dimly lit, enormous hall.

"Whoa…" Cyborg said, gazing at the sight before them with his mouth open. He glanced around. "Where are Robin and Raven?"

Danny shrugged uncertainly, unconsciously making sure that the Ghost Gauntlets and thermos were in his bag. He scanned the pillars, but could not see Reaper or the other two titans.

"That's weird…" Cyborg said nervously. He turned to check and see if maybe they left, when he stopped, trying to grab the handle but only feeling air. "Whoa! Where'd the door go?!"

Danny turned around and frowned. Something didn't feel right and it gave him a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Let's look for the others," he said.

"And the door."

"Yeah."

"Wanna split up? We could cover more ground that way."

"Not really. What if we get lost?"

"Start shooting and I'll do the same."

Danny nodded in agreement and went to the left while Cyborg went to the right.

--

He could see them; he was watching them. He hid behind the pillars, peeking out from behind them to watch his prey walk through the halls aimlessly. Like a game of chess, he was close to checkmate. So close. He would get the king soon, but for now, he needed to take out the queen. He glanced down at his frozen hand irritably and created a red glow that burned through, making water drip onto the floor. He flexed his fingers, and then picked up his staff from the ground. Watching the two titans pass the pillar he stood behind, he snuck out and began following steps behind them.

--

Robin and Raven crept through the hall, taking great care to check each aisle before passing it, which was extremely tedious. Suddenly, Raven grabbed his shoulder.

"Robin, look," she said, pointing to a puddle a few feet away from them. They approached it cautiously. As they got closer, they could see it was a puddle of green blood, though there was no body to own it. Robin knelt down in front of it and touched it lightly with his glove. "It's fresh."

"Danny?" Raven asked.

"I don't think so," Robin said. "It's been here for about an hour."

"Who then?"

He glanced around. "Whoever used to live here," he said, looking down at the puddle again with a frown on his face. "We walked into a trap."

--

How they were going to find anyone in the unidentifiable forest of pillars was uncertain, but nevertheless, Cyborg did his best to search without getting the attention of Reaper. He occasionally threw green blinking trackers out into the hall in hopes that Robin and Raven would find them, but none of his efforts had proven very fruitful.

He was fairly quiet, singing a song in his mind as he walked to keep himself entertained when a figure stepped out from behind one of the pillars. By the size, he was immediately assured it was not one of his companions and began firing blue bolts at it. Reaper stumbled backwards at every hit, dodging occasionally when he got the chance. Cyborg continued to shoot and when it looked like he had had enough, went running at him at full speed. Reaper's eyes lifted as he approached and side-stepped seconds before impact. Cyborg whirled back around and began throwing punches, which Reaper blocked easily. As a missed punch to the face swung narrowly by Reaper's face, he grabbed the fist, went intangible and pulled out some wires.

Cybrog's hand crackled and sparked and was unable to function properly anymore. "Not cool, man!" he said, turning to face the phantom again. Realizing that face-to-face combat was not a good idea with this particular foe, Cyborg jumped back and began firing at him again from a distance. A grin had appeared on Reaper's face as he began running behind pillars to escape the blasts until suddenly he disappeared. Cyborg went around the pillar he had last seen him at, but there was no trace of him. Suddenly a strange sensation came over him. His being fought against it, trying to make it leave, but was powerless to. He heard a crackling, snapping noise and moments after fell to the ground, unable to hold himself up anymore. "What the-?!"

Someone came around to the front of him and knelt down to stare at him, head cocked to the side like an animal. Cyborg looked up, his head being the only thing he could move, to see Reaper, grinning down at him wickedly. He held a handful of wires and metal in his left hand, which he dropped in front of him.

"One," he said, then stood and left, disappearing behind one of the pillars into the darkness.

--

Robin and Raven had found several more puddles of blood after the first. The last puddle was the fourth, which meant that Reaper had been killing more quickly than originally thought. Robin was a little on edge with the knowledge that Reaper had the upper hand, and it made him hurry his pace. At this point, his prime objective was to find him and take him down. The exit could be found later.

They walked quietly, hearing nothing, seeing nothing, for what felt like hours. They could have been walking around in circles since they had come in, but with everything looking so similar, it was hard to say.

Suddenly they heard a rustle a few pillars away. Robin looked and stopped Raven. "Did you hear that?"

"No."

He gestured with his index and middle finger for her to follow and began walking cautiously towards where he had heard the noise. As they approached, he gestured again for her to go to the other side. She nodded and both went around on opposite sides of the pillar, hoping to ambush whatever lay behind it.

Suddenly he heard movement behind him. He whirled around and threw a freeze disk. He saw a flash of movement and threw another, then another beside him. He heard Raven somewhere, though he couldn't see her, speaking the words of battle; "Azarath Metrione Zinthos!"

He heard a crashing noise and then silence. More movement in the distance to the left of him and he threw another, hearing a shout as he did so. "Robin!" When he at last took a moment to see what had made the noise, he saw Raven, frozen solid. He stared at her, anger welling up inside him to the point that he turned red. He twisted around and began scanning for Reaper.

"Two…"

He whirled and swung his bo-staff, which was blocked immediately by Reaper's bladed staff. They stood there for a few seconds, holding this position a few moments more, before at last Reaper stepped to the side, making Robin fall forward. Catching himself, he stepped back as Reaper's cane came crashing down where his neck had once been. He raised his cane and lunged for his stomach. Robin brought his bo-staff down on the cane and guided it away from him. He then jumped up and kicked Reaper in the chest, sending him backwards onto his back.

He stood back up, glaring wildly at him. He raised a hand and fired red ecto-blasts at him. Robin jumped away, using the pillars to push off of to get out of the way. Encircling him, he finally jumped down, leg extended to kick him again. Reaper grabbed his foot right before impacting his face and threw him around. Robin hit one of the pillars and fell to the ground. Reaper walked over to him and, raising his cane, he brought it down on his head. When he didn't move, he stepped over him. "Three… Now for the king."

--

Danny had had no luck in his search. He couldn't find the door and he couldn't find any of the titans. He lost track of Cyborg… how long ago had it been? An hour? Two? It was impossible to tell, for he had no way of telling time.

Suddenly he stopped, spotting something beside a pillar. As he came to stand in front of it, he looked down at a green puddle of blood. He stared at it curiously, wondering what ghost had been killed when his unspoken question was interrupted by a whooshing sound. He ducked down, the blade cutting a few hairs off of the top of his head. Rolling forward through the blood- which he had not intended to do- he jumped back up to his feet and turned to face his attacker.

Reaper stared at him nastily, eyes wide with the thrill and adrenaline of death and blood. He swung his cane at him again, making him jump back once more. Danny extended his hands and shot ice at him, freezing him instantly. Sighing in relief, he looked around and began firing ecto-blasts into the aisles, hoping the titans would see them. He subconsciously wondered over how easy it had been to immobilize him, but didn't think very hard on it. The thought only reentered his mind when he was stumbling backwards from a punch in the jaw. Regaining his footing, he looked up at Reaper, who had melted his way through the ice. A puddle of water had formed at his feet.

Danny gazed at him, a sudden sense of fear making his heart thump loudly in his head. In the back of his mind, he was thankful that Sam wasn't there. He faced him, setting aside his fear for the time being to fight.

Reaper made the first move, throwing yet another punch. Danny moved away from it and threw one of his own, but missed barely. Not wanting to take any chances, he reached behind him to pull the thermos from the backpack and maybe even the Ghost Gauntlets, but Reaper lashed out at him with wide strokes of his cane.

Danny distractedly began defending himself as best he could, though it was difficult, for Reaper had begun to back him up towards a pillar. A little farther and he'd be back to back with it. Needing to regain some ground, he threw a wild punch. Reaper moved his head to the right and grabbed his wrist. In the same motion, he pulled him and threw him over his shoulder. Danny landed on his back with a thud, the air being knocked out of his lungs for a moment.

Stealing the opportunity, Reaper raised his cane and brought it down over Danny's chest. Quickly he grabbed it just above the blade inches from his skin. Each time his chest lifted, it lightly touched the tip of the blade. He pushed with all his strength, trying to get it away. His arms shook as he got weak from the struggle. Reaper pushed down wit the full strength of his body and finally managed to penetrate skin. His victim's eyes shut closed in pain as blood began to seep from the wound and roll down his body. Grinning with pleasure, he put more power into it, making the blade sink deeper into the flesh. "Restless spirit," he said with an echoing voice, like there was two of him speaking, "I've come to end your suffering."

Danny screamed, a sensation overcoming him dizzyingly. He had always heard of people's lives passing before their eyes before their death, but had never experienced it, until now. Everything he could remember, and some things he had forgotten about, began flashing in his mind like an old movie clip. As it played, his mind began to dwell on Sam. He remembered the fake-out-make-out, their _real_ kiss a few months ago and felt some strength return to him. He pushed the blade a little out of himself, feeling the sting and grinding his teeth to hold back more screams.

Reaper stared down at him with irritation and stepped forward, now using his weight against him. The blade slipped through the gash again. Blood had begun to flow freely, allowing the phantom to fully comprehend the oddity that had been nagging at the back of his mind. The thing that had made this particular kill different, the thing that had made him somewhat uneasy; red and green blood, a beating heart appearing as he began to slowly slice downwards. He paused at the sight, gazing down at it uncomprehendingly. "You… breathe?" he asked to himself, dumbfounded.

Suddenly Reaper appeared to teleport out of his sight. The blade was gone from Danny's body, and Reaper was now turning away from him, glaring at something viciously. Danny weakly looked to see what it was that had distracted him. He felt a pang of relief and hope well up inside him as he stared at the familiar face of his best friend Sam, standing next to Tucker, Starfire and Beast Boy.

"Let him go!" Starfire said warningly, eyes glowing green.

"I wish you had not come here, my friend," Reaper said to her, ignoring the other teens completely, almost like he didn't know they were there. "I don't wish to kill you."

"No one is going to die today," Starfire said, lifting into the air. Reaper followed after her and both began firing a rainfall of red and green bolts at each other, flying behind and around pillars as they went. The eyes of both opponents glowed; Starfire's a bright green, Reaper's a fiery red.

As the fight continued above, Beast Boy, Sam and Tucker ran to Danny's aid. Their eyes involuntarily wandered down to the wound on his chest that was bleeding dangerously fast. Sam quickly got over her disgust in the urgency of the situation and looked around. "I need something to clog it with. Now!"

Tucker hastily threw off his shirt and hat and handed them to her, his eyes never leaving the gruesome injury on his friend.

Danny's breath had become extremely shallow and he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. He felt tired. So tired. And strangely numb. The figures bending over him became hazy, the voices foggy. The only thing he could comprehend clearly was Reaper, who he saw fly past occasionally and shout in anger as he chased Starfire around the hall. Oddly enough, he could see him even with his eyes closed. Was that related to the experience he had had earlier? Was it another curiosity of death? His mind was too muddled to fully contemplate the question.

Sam pressed the material against the wound, making him gasp harshly.

"Sorry," Sam said, but continued to press.

As he watched the fight unfold before him, Beast Boy joining in eventually to help Starfire, his eyes began to close until he had at last lost consciousness.


	10. Titan Tower

He didn't know how long he had been out, but from what he saw when he woke, it didn't appear to have been that long. He was still lying in the hall between two pillars. He looked around him, but couldn't find Sam, Tucker or the titans anywhere. He sat up and began making his way around the hall in search of them.

Everything around him was eerily quiet. Nothing moved. Everything was painfully calm.

He glanced around apprehensively, walking as quietly as he could when he felt himself step in a puddle. He looked down and jumped backwards in alarm. It was blood; red blood. The puddle had a small trail leading away and behind a pillar. He followed it anxiously, glancing back behind him occasionally for fear Reaper was still around.

He came around the corner and stopped, paralyzed by the figure he saw laying on his face in a larger puddle of blood… it was Robin. He backed away, breathing heavily when he kicked something with the back of his foot. He whirled around and found Starfire, lying on her back with a gash in her chest.

As unidentifiable voices filled his head, he began shaking and turned to get away, but stopped when something caught his eye. He slowly looked and felt a lump form in his throat. Raven, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Tucker; they were dead. All of them with gashes in their chests. Blood flowed like rivers from them, drying in the air.

He stood overwhelmed with fear and disbelief, eyes wide, breath ragged. He turned and started running aimlessly when he tripped over something and fell to the ground.

Shakily pushing himself up, he looked beneath him and turned pale. He tremblingly reached out and pulled the body close to him, breathless. He moved the black hair away from the face and tightened his hands on the arms. It was Sam… He stared at her, disbelieving, terrified when he heard laughter behind him.

He whirled around and stood, staring at the figure with panic. A smile crossed Reaper's face and he spoke with an echoing voice, "Restless spirit, I have ended your suffering."

Danny looked down at his chest and gasped in terror; his heart was gone. Blood was spilling from his wound like a waterfall. He looked up at Reaper again, who now held the heart in his left hand, a bloody cane in the other. He watched entertained as Danny slowly began fading, laughing mockingly at him.

Danny's hands shook, watching in helpless horror as he lost strength, falling to his knees weakly. He raised his head to look at Reaper- who wore a hideous grin on his face- once more before falling to his hands and knees, shaking and trembling in efforts to keep himself up.

"There's no mercy for the wounded," Reaper said and then raised his cane above his head. He then brought it down fast onto Danny's back.

He screamed and jolted up, the blanket over him nearly flying off of the bed. A steady beeping beside him suddenly increased as his heart thumped wildly. He grasped at his chest, hissing in pain and then reached for his back, but was unable to find the wound he had supposedly received. He looked around with disorientation at the room he was laying in. It was a white and grey room, where there was the bed he was laying on, a heart monitor beside him and some other equipment on the other side. There were a couple of unoccupied chairs standing at the wall opposite him beside the single, metal door with no handle.

He could hear voices coming from the other side of the wall, most of which were yelling angrily. One he recognized immediately and sighed with relief; definitely Sam.

"Okay, it was a dream," he reassured himself with another sigh. He lied back down on a pillow and rubbed his eyes wearily. He could hear a substantial decrease of beeps on the monitor beside him, which was somewhat of a relief, although it seemed as though it was still going slower than he would have thought. The thought made him sit up; shutting his eyes tightly as it strained his injury, and lifted the all-white shirt he was wearing to look at the wound. There was a thick, neatly wrapped bandage going all the way around his body, slightly discolored with a hue of red and green. He also had a bandage on the other two injuries he had received during the fight.

Suddenly the door automatically opened, letting in a handful of whisperingly arguing teens.

"If you hadn't have left him behind he wouldn't have gotten hurt!" Sam protested furiously, though in a hushed tone.

"_He_ was the one that fell behind," Robin objected.

"I can't believe you're going to blame this on Danny!"

"I'm not blaming it on him!" Robin argued, his voice raising now. The two of them were now inches from each other's faces, bickering heatedly at each other. The two other teens, Beast Boy and Raven, stood behind them, quietly waiting for the fight to cool down before even attempting to put in a word.

Danny searched the faces for Tucker, but couldn't find him. Starfire was also missing, along with Cyborg.

"Oh, yeah, you really helped him. He's lying on a bed with a cut on his chest thanks to you!"

Danny cleared his throat.

Their heads turned, noticing him for the first time since they had entered the room. Everything became quiet, but it didn't last long before Sam was in his arms, hugging him tightly. He could feel her tears falling from her cheek onto his shoulder.

"Danny! I thought you were… I was afraid that…"

Danny rubbed her back affectionately, remembering briefly his last memories of her when he thought he was going to die.

She came away and looked at him. "How do you feel? Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

"A little, but I'm fine," he answered.

"You should have listened to me," Sam said, her face hardening a little.

He laughed, but agreed. "Where's Tucker? And Starfire and Cyborg?"

"Watching Tucker fix Cyborg. She's trying to help, but its just annoying them both," Sam answered with a chuckle.

"Glad to see you're awake, Dude," Beast Boy said. "We thought that you would bleed to death because of that giant cut in your chest. It was gushing and-"

"Thanks," Danny interrupted, feeling sick in his stomach from the thought, "but I'm fine."

"Actually, you're not," Raven returned. "Like Beast Boy helpfully pointed out;" she said sarcastically, "you lost a lot of blood, so you're going to be stuck in that bed for a while."

"But don't worry about it," Beast Boy said, "We can just roll you in with us and you and I can go head-to-head in the non-stop action game 'Attack of the Killer Mutant Ninja Zombies 3'!"

"Thanks, but I probably won't have to stay here that long. I can-"

"We know you heal faster than humans. Even then, you're going have to stay here for a week or two," Robin said.

"Where is _here_ exactly?"

"The one and only Titan Tower," Beast Boy said. "I'll show you around later."

Danny looked at Robin intensely. "Did you beat Reaper?"

Robin frowned angrily. "No. He got away. Starfire almost had him, but he lost her in the pillars and escaped."

"How did _you_ get out?"

"Clockwork brought Beast Boy, Starfire and Tucker just before… um… well, you know. He told us to follow the aisle of pillars that twisted up left instead of right. We had a hard time at first, but we obviously made it out," Sam answered.

That explained the gap in time he had experienced. Strangely, however, it seemed like Reaper had been unaffected by the pause. The only way he could have been mobile during that time was if… he had a time medallion. That was why Clockwork was so nervous. How he could have gotten one though, was uncertain.

"So… what now?" Danny asked.

"At the moment, we just need to find him again," Robin said, "We're going to have your friend Tucker take us back to Clockwork to locate him."

"And I have to just lay here?"

"Sorry, but yeah," Sam said, "You need to rest. Your parents are taking care of the ghost-hunting in Amity Park and we've got Reaper covered, so you just relax. Cyborg and Beast Boy are staying here to keep track of us on the monitors, so you'll have some company."

Danny frowned.

"We better get ready to go," Robin said, leaving the room.

Sam watched him and rolled her eyes. She looked at Danny. "Hey, where are the thermos and the Ghost Gauntlets? They're not in your backpack and we kind-of need them."

"I put them in my bag," Danny said. "I never took them out."

"Okay. They're probably still in the Specter Speeder," she said. She gave him a smile and a kiss on the cheek. "I better go. I'll try to keep you up-to-date on how we're doing."

"Thanks," Danny said.

Smiling, she turned and left.

"Well, see ya," Beast Boy said, also exiting, leaving him alone with Raven, who had been so quiet during the entire conversation that Danny had forgotten she was there. She stared at him fixatedly, making him nervous, until she finally spoke. "What did he say?"

"What?"

"You were dreaming about him and I sensed him here. What did he say?"

Danny stared at her blankly. How did she know that? Breaking from his surprised stare, he shrugged and answered, "Nothing."

She gazed at him and then nodded. Turning, she went to the door to leave, but not before looking back at him. "Don't talk to him." With this, she left; the door closing shut behind her.


	11. The Breathing Ghost

Benjamin stared at the cylindrical object in his hand, turning it over to thoroughly examine it. "What an interesting contraption," he commented. Gripping it tightly, he began to squeeze it, listening as it snapped and cracked and sparked as he crushed it. "What a shame I had to destroy it. I could have put it to good use when I was living."

"I'm personally thrilled you're destroying that thing. Danny Phantom's caught at least every ghost in the Ghost Zone twice with that thing," Spectra said bitterly.

"Danny Phantom," he said, letting the words slowly roll off of his tongue. "The breathing ghost…" He picked up the Ghost Gauntlets from beside the chair he sat on and examined them with interest, though his mind was elsewhere.

"…Right," Spectra said, glancing at him wonderingly.

He grunted and put on one of the gauntlets. He flexed his fingers, watching the movements keenly. Looking it over, he accidentally activated the claws that protrude from the fingertips. He touched the tip of one of the claws with his finger and looked at the green blood he had drawn. "What do you suppose made him able to do that?" he asked, his eyes never leaving the gauntlet.

"How should I know?"

"Who _would_ know?" he asked, finally turning his head to look at her.

She stared at him curiously. "I don't think anyone knows except him and his friends."

He nodded contemplatively.

She gave him a suspicious, uneasy look. "What's going through your head, Benjamin McElroy?"

"I need you to do another chore for me, Penelope," Benjamin said.

"Ugh, what now?" she asked in annoyance. Though she found his demands irritating, she never dared defy him, even with the protection of their deal. Benjamin McElroy was not one to anger and she knew that by experience.

Benjamin looked over at Bertrand, who had been standing silently behind them, listening and watching. It was wise, being that there was very little keeping Benjamin from killing him. The best thing for him to do to keep on his good side was to say nothing and do what he was told when ordered.

"Take Bertrand and get either his friends or him to tell you what makes him breathe."

"Why?"

He paused; taking the gauntlet off of his hand and placing it back down on the floor beside him. He looked at her. "Life. Humanity's instinct is to maintain it. A ghost can only dream of it… that was what I thought until this breathing phantom appeared."

"Yes. He's half alive and half dead," Spectra stated.

"Indeed, but how? He broke the laws of nature somehow, Penelope. And if he could… then so could I," he said with a wide smile. "Imagine having the freedom of the living with the power of the loathsome dead. My beating heart would be returned to me; air would fill my lungs," he said, his eyes darkening sadly as he stared at the form he hated so, yet found so useful to his goals. "I have been cursed to be what I despise for so long, Penelope. I want life."

She stared at him. She had heard speeches like this so many times before, but she had never seen him weaken himself. He spoke of how much he hated ghosts and how he hated what he was, keeping a wall of hate and rage up guardedly, but never had she seen him… sad. Hopeful. Pleading. Like an animal begging to be fed. Shaking her head slightly, she sighed. "When do you want me to leave?"

He stared into nothingness thoughtfully for a few minutes before answering. "Now, but beware of the girl in the purple robes and stay clear of her. She will sense you if you are near."

"How do you know that?" Spectra asked.

"Azarath Metrione Zinthos," he said, repeating the chant he had heard Raven say. "I recognize it. It's dark magic, used on Azarath. I visited there once while I was searching for my purpose." He paused as though recalling something. Grinning, he leaned back in his chair, but chose not to share whatever thought had entered his mind for the time being.

"Fine. Come on, Bertrand," she ordered harshly.

He came to her side and the two left, allowing Benjamin a moment to consider the events that were unfolding and the dream he had had earlier that had perplexed him so, especially since ghosts couldn't have dreams; they never slept.


	12. Alien Alfa Force 3

**Sorry about how long this chapter took. Life got a hold of me and wouldn't let go! P**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

"I thought you guys were leaving," Danny said, walking weakly into the main room.

"Danny, what are you doing?!" Sam shouted angrily, hurrying over to support him as he entered the large room viewing the ocean and Jump City. Most of the titans were busying themselves here, going quickly from one side of the room to the other with items in their hands.

She sat him down on the long couch. "You're not helping your situation at all," she said sarcastically.

"I'm alright," he insisted.

"I am afraid she is right," Starfire said, "You must rest."

"It's not going to hurt me to walk a few steps down the hall."

"You didn't see what Reaper did to you," Robin said, "You need to be resting. Move around too much and you'll tear your stitches."

"Look, I get hurt all the time. It's no big deal."

"You haven't got hurt like this before. You should have seen it," Sam said.

"Well, I'm already in here, and there's really nothing to do in that room except sleep. I'd rather stay in here for now... that is if I have your permission," he said, looking at Sam playfully.

She paused and thought for a moment. "Permission granted... I suppose," she said, playing along.

He smiled and then looked at Robin. "So, what's going on?"

"At the moment, we're getting everything ready to go," Cyborg answered, coming over to where the three of them were talking. "It's taking longer than we thought it would, but it'll pay off. Me and Tucker are making some miniaturized ghost shields by copying the one in your Specter Speeder. That way Reaper can't phase through us."

"Good idea," Danny said.

"Thanks. So, how you feeling? Any better?"

"Enough to walk in here," Danny answered.

"Yeah, or you're really stubborn," Cyborg said, "Well, I gotta get back to work. If you need anything, just give us a holler."

"Thanks," Danny said.

"We'd better get to work, too," Sam said, putting her hand softly on his shoulder. "I'll see you later."

"Okay," Danny said, watching her and Robin walk off and get back to work. From the looks of it, they were just gathering things they needed; communicators, any of the ghost equipment they had in the Specter Speeder (that wasn't missing) and some of the Titans' weapons. Although they weren't doing anything terribly important, Danny was itching to get up and help, though managed to restrain that urge. His understanding of his condition was vague, but judging by the way the Titans and Sam treated him, he could make a confident guess that it was precarious.

His eyes turned to the other side of the room as a door opened and the purple-robed teen entered the room with a book in her hand. She crossed the room to where Robin was standing.

"Robin, do you know that ice that Starfire found Reaper in? Well, it wasn't ice. It was an ecto-plasmic crystal that drains energy. I found it here," she said, showing him the book she was holding. "We might be able to contain him again if we use this."

He nodded. "Alright, do you know where we can find it?"

"Yes. It's in the Ghost Zone... here," she said, gesturing to an illustration on the page of a floating clear door. "The Infi-map can take us there."

"Good, then I think we're about ready to go. Tell the others."

She nodded and walked off.

For about half an hour Danny sat on the couch watching the teens go from one place to another busily, which made him even more restless. Eventually, though, Beast Boy came by with an armful of his favorite games and invited him to join him in epic battles for supremacy and "awesomenessdom". He gladly accepted the company, though he was thoroughly beaten to a pulp, but it was fun and distracting nonetheless.

"Oh yeah! High score! And I beat you... again!" Beast Boy shouted.

"Yeah, hurray, you beat a cripple," Danny joked, "Good job."

Beast boy laughed and picked up another game that sat beside him on the couch. "Wanna see if you can beat me in Alien Alfa-Force 3?"

"Have any ghost-fighting games? I could probably beat you at that."

"Sorry, fresh out," Beast Boy said, "but dude, that would be awesome!"

"Beast Boy," Robin called, walking over to the couch, "We're about ready to go. You and Cyborg have everything you need?"

"Yeah... except a mini-shield," Beast Boy pouted, falling back on the couch.

"You don't need one," Robin said sternly. He looked at Danny, "If you need anything while we're gone let Beast Boy, Cyborg or Sam know."

"Sam's staying?"

"She insisted," Robin said with audible irritation.

"Well, thanks," Danny said. "Are you guys leaving right now?"

He nodded.

"How do you guys plan to catch him this time? Nothing we did before fazed him."

"Raven found the crystal he was trapped in when Starfire found him. We'll catch him in that again and figure out the rest from there."

Danny nodded. It wasn't the best plan, but for the moment, it was really all they could do.

After a little while of uncomfortable chit-chat, the rest of the teens came into the room.

"Keep up contact every twenty minutes and update us on your progress," Cyborg said, "We'll keeping an eye on you through the monitors."

"Okay. We're all set, then," Robin said.

"See you when we get back, man," Tucker said to Danny.

"We will see you all very soon," Starfire said, "Feel better, Danny."

He smiled gratefully. "Good luck."

"Thanks. We'll need it," Robin said. "Let's go guys."

* * *

Robin, Raven, Starfire and their guide Tucker left on the Specter Speeder, taking it back through the portal they had gotten back through- the one Reaper had shown Starfire. Once out in the swirling green of the Ghost Zone, Tucker led them- using the Infi-map- back towards Clockwork's tower.

"Why are there so many doors here?" Starfire asked curiously as she stared out the window.

"They lead to the ghosts' homes."

"Why would a ghost need a home? They don't eat, they don't sleep," Robin said.

"Nope, they don't and no they don't need them, but me, Danny and Sam think it has something to do with their past lives."

"What do you mean?"

"People becomes ghosts when they die because they have some sort of important, unfinished business. We think that some of their possessions are brought to the Ghost Zone as a kind of reminder that they need to finish whatever was left unfinished. Or at least that's what we think. Take, uh... Ember, for example."

"That is the girl we found dead yesterday, yes?" Starfire asked.

"Yeah. Did you happen to see her guitar?"

"No."

"Neither did I. Weird... anyway, she has a guitar that could, for one, make people fall in love. She made Danny and Sam fall in love one time. It was so funny, too bad I was tied to a chair for most of that day. I would have paid a pant-load to see-"

"You were talking about her guitar," Robin interrupted impatiently.

"Oh yeah. Anyway, it could do other things, too, but my hypothesis is that she needed that guitar to finish the business she didn't get to when she was alive."

"What does that have to do with their homes?" Robin asked.

"Well, their homes are the reminders. Think about it, if you were dead and you had to see something that brought back painful memories, wouldn't you be more inclined to be at peace?"

"I guess so."

"Right... so take Reaper. His home is his burned-down house that he was murdered in: the reminder. Then he's got that cane-thing. Maybe he was crippled or something when he was alive."

"I did a little studying on Benjamin McElroy," Raven said, "and you're right. He was crippled. His left leg was weak. It made him unable to save his wife or himself."

"See? His cane became a symbol of his defeat, so it must have- in death- become the key to rest."

"You've thought a lot about this," Robin said.

"Kind-of hard not to when you're best friend's half-ghost," Tucker replied.

"So does that mean Danny's half restless? What's his unfinished business?"

"I don't really know. I guess its just to save the town from ghosts."

"What will happen when he is all of the way dead?"

Tucker shrugged. "I don't know. He might stay a ghost because he has to protect the city from other ghosts. Who knows?" he said nonchalantly. He had never really thought about it. It was better not to.

Shunning the thought from his mind as he always did, he changed the subject, never bringing it back up.


	13. Spectra's Plan

It did not take long for Spectra to find Titan Tower, Reaper having given her the location of the portal he had shown Starfire. It was an easy guess to think they would take Danny and his friends there until he was healed.

For several hours Spectra and Bertrand kept their distance, trying to figure out how to get in without being detected either by Danny's ghost sense or the purple-robed teen Reaper had warned them about. It wasn't until they saw the Specter Speeder fly off in the direction of the portal that they decided to split up and at last enter the Titan Tower.

While Bertrand followed the Specter Speeder- catching a glimpse of Tucker in the window and deciding to follow him- Spectra made her way cautiously into the Titan Tower. She knew very well that Danny was inside and would sense her if she got too close to him, so she made certain to first locate him before fully entering the building.

Spotting him through one of the large windows as she cautiously flew around the exterior of the building, she entered several floors down from the area.

She traveled lonely, dark halls for about half an hour, having completely lost her way. She flew into several rooms, all of which were empty, though she did take a little time to look around.

One of the rooms she entered, in particular, caught her attention. It was dark, filled with unlit candles and bookshelves. Judging by the other rooms she had seen since she had been wandering aimlessly, she guessed that this was the mysterious purple-robed girl's room. On the bed there was an opened book the girl must have carelessly placed there before she left. Opening it, she skimmed over pages about the various trials and histories of the Ghost Zone. As she flipped through the pages, she stopped abruptly to examine a page she had nearly passed more carefully. It was Reaper and all about his 'life' before and now. She read intently, he having never given anything about his past.

After a while of reading, she set it down, remembering the pressing business she was here for and left the room. As she flew the halls, she spent the time figuring out how she would get either Danny or his friends to tell her what she needed to know. If she had a choice, she would try to get the information from his friends first. She would only ever go near Danny if she had no other choice. Yet the question still remained as to how she would approach his friends without drawing attention and even get them to cooperate. She sighed to herself at the annoyance of the chore Reaper had appointed her.

Why am I doing this? She asked herself irritably. Is he so naïve to think that he could be revived? I'm wasting my time! She turned into another room, at which she immediately stopped and turned invisible at the sight of Danny's friend Sam. She was alone in a room the Titan's had apparently given to her while she was staying there. She hadn't noticed her, to Spectra's relief.

It was, unfortunately, a perfect opportunity to interrogate her. She was alone, far away from the others. Yet she did not reappear to her. She only hovered unnoticed in the room, struggling with herself in her mind as to what to do. Why am I helping this fool? She watched Sam kneel down and check under the bed. She got back up and frowned.

"Where is that thing?" she asked herself thinking she was alone.

What is she supposed to know? She's no scientist. This is ridiculous! She watched as Sam began heading for the door. Her mind whirled. If she was going to do it, she needed to do it now. With an aggravated sigh that alerted Sam she was not alone, Spectra became visible behind her and grabbed her mouth to keep her quiet. Sam wriggled and fought her, but to no avail.

At last, Spectra threw her off further into the room. "Scream and I'll phase you through that wall," she said. It didn't sound like much of a threat, though as Sam thought through it, she realized she was extremely high up in the Titan's tower, and the wall behind her led to a long drop down.

"What do you want, Spectra?" Sam asked angrily.

Spectra sighed. "I..." It was such a ridiculous thing to be asking. "I need some information from you."

"What makes you think I'd do anything for you?" Sam asked.

Spectra rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop with the heroics. Look, I just want to know what happened that made your friend Danny half alive and half dead."

Sam gave her a confused look. "Why?" she asked, somewhat startled by the question.

"Just answer the question!" she said, raising her voice in exasperation.

"I'm not telling you anything," Sam said stubbornly.

"You're not being terribly helpful to the situation," Spectra snapped. "Do you want Reaper to come here and finish what he started?"

Sam's face turned white.

"I thought not," Spectra said. "Now, be a good girl and tell me what I need to know."

"You're working for Reaper?" Sam asked with stunned confusion.

Spectra rolled her eyes again impatiently. "Will you please just answer my question?!"

"What do you want to know that for?" she asked suspiciously.

"It doesn't matter!" she shouted in frustration.

"If you want the answer, then yes it does," Sam said threateningly.

Spectra sighed in frustration, but then took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She then looked at Sam intently. "How is your boyfriend?"

Sam looked at her suspiciously. "What do you care?"

"Just curious. Terrible thing Reaper did to him, isn't it? It's a shame, too, that he's going to have to finish him before he can pass on."

Sam glared at her. "Reaper's not getting anywhere near him."

"I highly doubt that," Spectra stated coolly. "He grows stronger with every ghost he kills... and believe me, he's killed enough by now to take care of you and your new friends. He'll get to him and there's nothing that can be done to stop him. Well, almost nothing." Spectra glanced at Sam and judging by her expression, she would soon lose that irritating stubbornness.

"You know how to stop him?"

"In theory," Spectra replied, "yes, but firstly I need to know what made Danny half dead."

"Why?"

Spectra pretended to hesitate, but was not slow in her response. "Reaper wants to be revived. My hope is to kill him while he's attempting to. He thinks Danny is the key, which as you know is ridiculous. At any rate, he wants the information and he won't stop hunting him until he gets it."

Sam hesitated, but at last, she told her about the day Danny walked into the portal and, at Spectra's inclination, gave her as much detail as she could remember. When she finished, she stared at the ghost angrily.

Spectra, however, did not notice. In fact, she had forgotten Sam was there in her musings. The story really didn't give her enough information to be a real help. There were several questions that needed answering. For one, just because Danny went into the Ghost Portal twice and was able to gain and remove his powers, did not necessarily mean that it would work for ghosts. After all, he had, in both events, been technically alive. Second, the settings on which Sam had mentioned, posed a large problem. If they were to set them wrong or even set them to the exact settings Danny had, there was the probability that it would terminate a ghost. What should I care if Reaper dies trying to get revived?It would get me out of the mess I'm in. She thought to herself, but even as she mused to herself, she felt a sort of uncomfortable tingle in her chest. It was bizarre, and irritating.

She suddenly sat down on a chair nearby and put a hand to her forehead in frustration.

Sam stared at her in confusion. "S-Spectra?"

"This is ridiculous! I hate him!" she suddenly shouted aloud, thinking at first that she had thought it in her mind. After hearing words exit from her mouth, she looked at Sam. Quickly, she tried to cover up her true meaning. "Your friend Danny Phantom has done nothing but hinder me. I hate him! "she said, sighing.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Are you done?"

Spectra glared at her. "Yes, I'm done. Now, why don't you get back to your precious boyfriend? Who knows what Reaper's done to him since we've been talking."

"What?!" Sam ran past her as fast as her legs could carry her and out into the hall, shouting Danny's name as loud as she could.

"Idiot." Spectra stood up, smiling from the entertainment, though it quickly faded, her mind returning to the predicament she was facing. Suddenly, she made a realization that made her subconsciously tremble. If Reaper is revived, his vows will be void. He'd be free of their deal, and undoubtedly jump to the opportunity to kill her. She couldn't help revive him. What now?! She couldn't just tell him she didn't find out anything. He'd be suspicious of that. Ugh! Why did he have to find out Danny Phantom was half alive? If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be in this mess. I hate him! I hate them both! She suddenly froze as an idea entered her mind. Would that work? And, most importantly, would Reaper buy it? She imagined if she was careful he might. If she could pull it off, she would be relieved of two nuisances. It could work.

For the second time that day, something heavy fell upon her chest that was both uncomfortable and depressing. She frowned at herself irritably, the feeling becoming exceedingly annoying. Sighing, she flew out of Titan Tower, resolving to find Bertrand first of all and tell him about her plan before he could return to Reaper with whatever information he may have managed to acquire.


	14. No Mercy

"I am afraid I can no longer help you," Clockwork said sadly to the Titans and Tucker.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked.

"The course is set. There is nothing I can do to alter it."

"Is there not something that can be done? We must stop Reaper before he hurts anyone else," Starfire said. "Please, you must help."

"I would not send you to fight Reaper without some help, rest assured," Clockwork said. He turned to the clock and showed them an eerie-looking hospital that had once said 'North Mercy Hospital' but now said 'No Mercy Hospital' due to missing letters. "Go here... with caution, mind you, and seek out Skulker. He will help track and fight Reaper with you."

Tucker shivered at the sight of the all-too-familiar hospital. "Uh... no offense, but Skulker doesn't really like me or Danny," he said, "why would he help us?"

"Believe me, Tucker. His hate for Reaper far overshadows his hate for Danny," Clockwork said reassuringly. "But when you encounter problems, tell him that his future will come to a quick end if he attempts fighting alone. Now, go. And hurry. Reaper grows stronger by the hour."

"Thank you for your assistance," Starfire said, bowing her head and following the other teens into the Specter Speeder again.

"Great. More traveling," Raven said.

"Sorry about that. I thought for sure he'd help us again. Kind of weird, isn't it?" Tucker said, turning the Specter Speeder around and taking it through the Ghost Zone once more. "Well, at least we'll have Skulker. He can track anything."

"This feels like a bad idea to me," Robin said.

"Why?"

"Working with enemies is precarious... and dangerous. He could turn on all of us at the last minute."

"Nah. Don't worry about that. We've actually worked with him several times in the past. Never let us down, actually. He'd be a good good guy," Tucker said thoughtfully.

A silence fell over the Specter Speeder and remained for several minutes more as they traveled through the Ghost Zone, watching with alertness for Reaper or a trail he may have left, though there was hardly a chance of finding anything that would let them to him in the Ghost Zone. Their only chance of finding him was with Skulker's help. Otherwise they'd end up wandering the Ghost Zone for hours finding nothing but the remains of his victims.

* * *

At last they came to a portal, which Tucker took them through into the human world. He recognized where they were instantly and became nervous. He drove past grassless fields until he at last came in front of the hospital, still as deserted and frightening as the first time he had gone there with Danny.

"I wonder what Skulker's doing here," Tucker said as he gently let down the Specter Speeder.

"Where is _here_?" Starfire asked, looking around depressed. "It is horrible."

"This is a fake hospital. A lot of-" he shivered, "memories here."

"Like what?" Raven asked.

"Tell you later," Tucker said (with no actual intention of doing so). He turned to her. "Ladies first."

Raven glanced at him, rolled her eyes and entered the gates of the hospital with indifference. Robin and Starfire followed after her with Tucker shortly behind them. There was, to Tucker's relief, no need to enter the building however, for as they approached the steps, the door opened and Skulker walked out. He stared at them, curious and surprised when his eyes finally rested on Tucker. Activating his gun and pointing it at him, he frowned irritably.

Starfire's hands began to glow, but Robin touched her slightly, signaling her to back off.

"Where is the Ghost Child? Does he think he can hide from me?" Skulker asked. He looked around and his angry expression was quickly replaced with confusion. He looked at Tucker.

"Yeah, Danny's not here."

"I noticed," Skulker said, "what I wonder is why _you're _here."

Robin looked at Skulker and noticed him holding some broken pieces of metal. Looking harder, he recognized them as pieces of the thermos. "You're tracking Reaper."

Skulker glanced at him. "Who are you?"

"I'm Robin, and these are my friends Starfire and Raven. Looks like we're all looking for the same guy."

"I've never seen you before," Skulker said suspiciously.

"You wouldn't have. We're from Jump City. We came here to help Danny find and stop Reaper."

"You're friends with the Ghost Child?"

"If by 'Ghost Child' you mean to say our friend 'Danny', then yes," Starfire answered.

"The friend of my enemy is my enemy," Skulker said, pointing the gun now towards Robin.

"And the enemy of your enemy is your friend," Raven said.

Skulker held, listening.

"Clockwork sent us to find you. He said you would help us find Reaper," Raven said.

"Why would I help you?"

"That's what we were wondering, actually," Tucker mumbled under his breath.

"You can't fight Reaper alone," Robin said.

"I've defeated him once, I can do it again," Skulker said resolutely.

"Not this time. Before we left Clockwork's he told us to warn you that if you fought Reaper alone... you'd die. Help us find him and we'll help you kill him," Robin said.

"You think I'm afraid to die? I already have!"

"It won't help you get revenge for Ember, though," Tucker said.

Skulker flashed a look at him. "He killed her to hurt me. And he has to pay!"

"You're doing exactly what he wants you to," Robin said. "He did it to draw you to him. You'll find him when he wants you to and he'll kill you. You want to get revenge for Ember? Then help us."

Skulker stared at him thoughtfully. "Clockwork saw my... death?" The word was obviously unnatural to him.

Robin nodded.

He sighed irritably. "Very well. I will help you, but understand I only do it because I want to make him pay for what he did to Ember."

"We understand," Robin said. "Now, lead the way."

"One thing before we leave," Skulker said, lifting his gun above their heads and firing a net.

The teens ducked their heads as it sailed over them and behind some bushes. Skulker then retracted the wire, pulling in a net a short, green blob.

"Looking for something... or someone?" Skulker asked, pulling the net up to where he could see the ghost up close.

"Put me down!" the ghost shouted with outrage.

Tucker glanced at the ghost briefly, and then recognized it. He leaned over to Robin and whispered: "That's Bertrand. He and Spectra got all of the kids at Casper High sick and then brought them here and then captured Danny to use his powers to make Spectra a powerful human-body suit-thing."

Robin stared at him blankly and confusedly.

Bertrand struggled in the net, but got nowhere.

"Where's Reaper, little maggot!" Skulker said, pointing a gun at him.

"You think you scare me? Ha! Besides, I don't know where Reaper is at the moment."

"Oh? Then why is it that I happen to find you at the very place Reaper has just retreated from? And what are the odds that it happens to be you and Spectra's lair?"

"You're... _working_ for Reaper?" Tucker asked.

"Threaten me all you want, Skulker," Bertrand hissed, "but I'm just trying to preserve myself for as long as I can manage."

"Tell me where he is and I'll put him back where he belongs," Skulker said.

"You think that crystal can hold him forever? He'll get out again," Bertrand said, frowning. "The way I see it, he'll eventually fulfill his vow, whether it takes another thousand or even million years; he will and my goal, is to keep on his good side for as long as I can."

Skulker glowered at him irritably. "Well, I can't have you returning to him and telling him I'm following him. So I'm going to have to leave you here," he said, dropping the net on the ground and cutting it loose from the wire.

"He already knows you're following him!" Bertrand said. "He left bread-crumbs for you to follow."

"I know," Skulker said, "and I know he would kill me, but I'm not going after him alone." He looked up at the teens standing fairly quiet in front of him. "I'll take you to him and you help me get my revenge."

Robin nodded, smiling and returned to the Specter Speeder.

Skulker turned on the jetpack on his back and waited for the Specter Speeder to rise up from the ground.

"What about Bertrand?" Starfire asked suddenly, turning and looking at the net sitting on the dirt that he was confined to concernedly.

"Pitying ghosts was what got us into this in the first place," Raven said, "please don't make the same mistake twice."

Starfire flushed embarrassedly and entered the Specter Speeder.

Following Skulker, the teens returned to the portal they had come from and began traveling once again, eyes open, watching their guide as he led them confidently through the Ghost Zone.


	15. Clairvoyant Clues

Danny woke and sat up on the couch, holding his breath at the pain in his chest as he moved. Propping himself up against the couch, he looked around for Sam, but she wasn't there. He recalled her telling him she was going to look for the thermos and Ghost Gauntlets again; though he was positive he must have lost them in that big hall Reaper had led them to. He wondered to himself where Beast Boy and Cyborg were.

He suddenly felt a chill come over him that tingled his skin painfully. A blue wisp escaped his parted lips and disappeared in the air in front of him. He frowned to himself. He couldn't fight like this! Struggling up off of the couch, he turned to go look for Cyborg, Beast Boy or Sam when he froze. He felt paralyzed- stricken immobile by fear.

The fiery red eyes of Reaper stared at him from the doorway. His look was excited and wide with blood-thirst.

Danny gulped, feeling himself tremble. He tried to transform, but gasped when he realized that he couldn't! "What did you do to me?!"

"How does it feel to- in an instant- become aware of your mortality?" Reaper asked, his tone sounding only interested. He swung the cane in his hand casually up and down like a seesaw. "What I'd give to remember that!" He stared at him, eyes fixed on his chest. He took a few steps forward, holding his cane now steady in his hand.

Danny felt strength return to him and stepped back.

Reaper cocked his head to the side at the movement, smiling coldly. "The powerful became powerless..." he paused, glanced down at his leg and then at the floor, "...the powerless became powerful." His eyes shifted up to Danny again, who was slowly retreating backwards. He grinned wickedly and said: "Death finds us, no matter where we run. You're in the vortex of the inescapable."

"Get away from me!" Danny shouted, hoping that Cyborg, Beast Boy or Sam would hear it, but no one came.

Reaper approached him again, determination in his eyes as he activated the blade at the end of the cane.

"Get away!" he shouted, trying to transform again, but he couldn't. "Sam!" He felt a wall behind him and realized in terror he could no longer back away.

Reaper raised the cane, poised it over Danny's chest and watched his victim shut his eyes.

_Danny!_

"Give me life!"

Danny's eyes shot open and he jolted upright on the couch he was laying on. He looked around, breathing heavily, though it did not take long for him to realize that he had been dreaming again. He could hear Cyborg and Beast Boy behind him, opening, closing and reopening the fridge door as one of them went for more food. But there was something else that had set made his mind uneasy. What was it? He had heard a voice- faint- an echo in his subconscious that had infiltrated his dream. What had that been? The answer came bursting into the room, panting tiredly, and eyes wide with frantic alarm.

"Whoa, Sam, you okay?" Cyborg asked with a full mouth, gulping down the bite quickly and rushing over to her. Beast Boy followed after him and both gazed at her confusedly.

She looked around, her face flushed red. She searched the room for a moment and then seemed to relax. Looking at Cyborg and Beast Boy, she asked: "You guys haven't seen anything... weird, have you?"

Cyborg gave her a curious look. "What do you mean? What's wrong?"

"Yeah, why'd you come running in here like that?" Beast Boy asked.

Danny sat up on the couch and twisted around carefully to look at them. "Sam, are you okay?"

She looked at him and her eyes lost some of the wildness they had held when she entered. "Has your Ghost Sense gone off?"

He recalled his dream, and remembered the blue wisp leave his mouth. Had that just been a part of his dream or had he actually sensed a ghost around? He couldn't tell. He looked up at her and shook his head. "No. Why?"

"I just ran into Spectra," Sam explained.

"Spectra? What's she doing here?" Danny asked. "Is she still here?"

"Who?" Beast Boy asked.

"A ghost," Danny said flatly. "Is she still here?"

"Doubt it."

"Then what was she doing here? Looking for another stupid way to get her suit to work?" Danny asked irritably. He watched Cyborg cross over to a computer, begin typing something in and guessed he was probably doing a check over the building in case she was still here.

"No."

"Then what'd she want?" Cyborg asked.

Sam, taking a deep breath, told them about her encounter and all of the strange questions she had asked. "She was acting weird... well, you know, for being a ghost."

"Why'd she want to know that?" Cyborg asked.

"I don't know... I think it may have something to do with the fact that..." she paused, looking at Danny and continued, "She's working for Reaper."

"What?"

"I don't know. Why would a ghost work for someone trying to kill them?" Sam asked.

"Keep your friends close but your enemies closer."

"I guess," Sam said. "But how would you manage keeping your own murderer close to you without him killing you when you weren't looking?"

"Okay... so... some ghost is working for a ghost-killer who's a ghost, too?" Beast Boy asked. "That's just wrong."

Danny thought back on his first encounter with Reaper- his chest felt a sudden pang of pain at the memory- and remembered the shocked look on Reaper's face when he had seen his blood. He had said something. What did he say? 'You breathe?' he'd asked. It had stopped him and very likely saved his life. He began working it through his mind. Why kill ghosts? He was trying to fulfill some vow. What if he did? What was so important about it that made Reaper so determined? He didn't know. Why did any of the ghosts do what they did?

"I bet Bertrand's with her, but I never saw him," Sam said. She glanced at Danny and noticed his distant stare. "Danny?"

He turned and locked eyes with her. "What?"

She was about to speak when a beeping sound interrupted them.

Cyborg rushed over to the large screen and turned it on. Robin came into view as it came to life. "Cyborg, we've made contact with Skulker. He's going to help us."

"Great. Where are you now?" Cyborg asked.

"Skulker's taking us to Reaper's location right now."

"Yeah, but where are you?"

Tucker's face suddenly appeared on the screen. "Uh... it's kind of hard to explain where you are in the Ghost Zone, since everything looks pretty much the same and there are no streets and stuff. We're just passing a grey door. Does that help any?"

"Not really," Cyborg replied.

"Sorry," Robin said. "I'll tell you when we find Reaper."

"Wait. There's something you should know," Cyborg said quickly.

"That is funny, because we have something that we must tell you as well," Starfire said, leaning over Robin to view the screen.

"You first," Robin said, his tone containing that usual commanding note it always had.

"Sam just ran into a ghost called 'Spectra' a few minutes ago. She's gone now," he said after seeing Robin's concerned look, "but she asked her a lot of questions."

"Hey, Skulker caught Bertrand earlier following us!" Tucker said.

"They're both working for Reaper, then," Cyborg said.

"Dude, that's just demented. It's like buying your own coffin," Beast Boy said, mostly to himself- as usual-.

"What did Spectra ask?" Robin asked, "Skulker tried to get Bertrand to tell him why he was following us, but he wouldn't say anything."

Cyborg quickly explained what Sam had told him.

Robin sat quiet for a few minutes, letting the information sink in, before at last speaking again: "He's trying to revive himself. Did Sam tell him where the Ghost Portal is?"

"No, I didn't," Sam said, a touch of irritation in her voice from being excluded from the conversation.

"Okay, good. She'll probably go tell Reaper everything you told her. Does _she _know where the Ghost Portal is?"

"Yeah."

"Call Danny's parents and tell them to close it. He thinks it's possible to be revived. He'll try to use the Ghost Portal to do that."

"But the portal made Danny half _ghost. _Who knows what it would do to an _actual_ ghost!" Sam said.

"He's desperate. He'll take the risk and kill anybody that gets in his way. I'll check the Infi-map and hide any portals that could take him to Amity Park."

"Good idea," Cyborg said. "Contact us once you've finished."

"I will," Robin said. "How's Danny? He didn't try and fight the ghost, did he?"

"I'm right here," Danny said, though was ignored.

"No. He was asleep," Cyborg said.

"That is good. He needs the rest," Starfire said.

"How did he look when he was sleeping?" Raven suddenly asked from outside the view of the screen.

"I don't know. Watching people sleep isn't one of my favorite pastimes," Cyborg said sarcastically, but with good humor.

"I saw him sometimes when I was passing by," Beast Boy piped in.

"How'd he look?"

"Actually, he kinda looked like me when I have a stomach ache," Beast Boy said. He looked back at Danny, who was frowning in annoyance.

"Danny, did you have another dream?" Raven asked severely.

Pausing for a moment, he replied: "Yeah."

"Did he talk to you this time?" Raven asked.

Danny paused, licked his dry lips and shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He didn't want to think about the nightmare. It hurt his chest.

"Danny, it might be important, so I need you to answer truthfully," Raven said, her voice a bit more soft this time.

"Why?" Sam asked.

"Every time I'm around Danny I feel like Reaper's there," Raven said, "like he's _in_ Danny."

"So what are you saying?" Cyborg asked.

"I don't know the limitations of Reaper's powers, but it's possible that he made some sort of telepathic connection with Danny when he tried to kill him. Maybe on accident, maybe on purpose. It may even have been Danny. I don't know, but it's possible that if we use it, we could find Reaper a lot quicker and maybe even find out how to stop him."

Danny looked up at the screen. "Was Skulker tracking Reaper when you found him?"

"Yeah," Tucker answered.

"Where was he?"

"That creepy hospital where Spectra tried to take your DNA," Tucker replied with a slight shudder.

Danny thought about the dream he had before they left the Titan Tower. Reaper had said something to him, he remembered, though it hadn't seemed important at the time. He had said; 'Restless spirit, I have ended your suffering.' The memory made him tremble slightly. He couldn't think of anything that important in the phrase, but recalled him saying something else that had seemed out of place to him. 'There is no mercy for the wounded,' he had said. No mercy for the wounded... no mercy... No Mercy...

"The sign... No Mercy Hospital!" Danny said suddenly.

The teens stared at him with puzzled expressions.

"What?" Beast Boy asked, tilting his head to the side.

"My first dream Reaper told me where he was!" Danny exclaimed. "Not straight-forward or anything. He talks like a poet."

"What did he say this time?" Raven asked.

"A lot this time, actually," Danny said.

"Think about what he said. Did he say anything that seemed off to you?"

Danny thought back on his dream, feeling the pain in his chest again, but firmly ignoring it. He went over everything he had said. He had mentioned something about mortality and had shown plainly that he longed for it. He said something about power, which had only seemed like monologue, but the last few sentences he had said seemed odd. A lot like the 'No mercy for the wounded' comment. Like a riddle. 'You're in the vortex of the inescapable.' Inescapable. Where is inescapable?

"Danny?" Sam asked, touching him on the shoulder.

He looked up at her and then at the screen.

"We're kind of in a hurry," Robin said.

"Sorry. Uh... he said, 'You're in the vortex of the inescapable.'"

The room silenced for a few minutes as all of them wondered over it.

"You can't escape your mind," Cyborg said.

"Yeah, or the clutches of a blood-sucking vampire!" Beast Boy said.

"Not helpful," Raven said dryly.

"What about that hall Reaper led us to before?" Robin suggested. "We had a hard time getting out of there."

"Yeah, but we _did_ get out," Sam said, "What's inescapable?"

"Vortex!" Tucker exclaimed.

The teens looked at him.

"The ghost- Vortex. He's going wherever Vortex lives," Tucker explained. "'You're in the vortex of the inescapable.' He wasn't talking about a place."

"So if we find Vortex we find Reaper," Robin said.

"Wow, Tucker, who knew your brains expanded beyond technology," Sam said with a smirk.

"Hey, my brain and technology fit together," Tucker said.

"We're going to look for Vortex," Robin said. "We'll call back once we've found either him or Reaper."

"Alright," Cyborg said, shutting off the screen. He turned to Beast Boy, Danny and Sam, who now stood quiet and thoughtful. "Okay, here's the plan: Beast Boy, you and I are going to have a rematch on Alien Alfa Force II, Sam, you're going to get something to eat- since I know you haven't eaten since you got here- and then call Danny's parents. Danny, you're going to go back to sleep and dream up Reaper's location. Alright? It's on," he said, walking over to the couch, sitting down next to Danny and grabbing up a controller. Beast Boy jumped onto the seat beside him and grabbed a controller as well.

"Hey, want to go back to your room, Danny? It's kinda loud in here," Sam said, glancing up at the two boys had begun clicking away at the controllers in their hands.

"Nah. I'm fine... You haven't eaten?"

"I was busy."

"Now you're not," Danny said with a smile. "And there's a fridge right there, but I don't know if you're going to find anything in it. I think these two got to it all first." He gestured to the two sitting beside him.

"They're lazy pigs... but what do you expect from a boy?" Sam said.

"I resent that," Beast Boy said, though his eyes never left the screen.

"Injured guys don't count," Danny said.

"Whatever," Sam said sarcastically, walking over to the fridge and pulling out some tofu. "Awesome. Finally somebody who understands the disgusting cruelty of slaughtering animals."

"That would be me," Beast Boy said, turning his head only for a moment to smile at her.

"That makes sense," Sam said.

Danny wasn't paying attention. He was thinking about his dream again, about what Reaper had said about power. 'The powerful became powerless... the powerless became powerful.' He thought about how- after a while- it had gotten to the point that fighting even Plasmius had become easy. _What goes up must come down_, he thought to himself bitterly. Now he faced an enemy that could beat him and nearly had. He'd had several close-calls in the past, but never that close. Sam was right. Reaper _wasn't_ like all of the other ghosts. He was more serious... and far more dangerous.


	16. The Symbol of Life

Lightning crackled and sparked against the rock Benjamin McElroy had taken cover behind. The tornado-tailed ghost in the clearing laughed as he continued to send bolt after bolt of lightning tauntingly at the rock.

"Oh, so the powerful Ghost Slayer is hiding?" the ghost- who Benjamin had learned was called Vortex- shouted. "He should!"

Benjamin looked down at the metallic gloves he wore on his hands and then the bladed cane they wielded. He was growing tired of the fight. The 'Vortex' ghost was quite a challenge and arrogant. Like most ghosts, he thought himself invincible. Benjamin had made that mistake only once and he had paid for it. This flaw in this particular ghost, he knew, he could use to his advantage. Glancing up from behind the rock, he viewed the ghost briefly and then jumped out, firing a weak red blast at him.

Vortex moved out of the way and sent a bolt of lightning from his fingers. Benjamin feigned an attempt to get out of the way, but allowed it to crash on top of him and send him backwards. His cane was thrown from his hand and fell a few feet away from him.

Vortex laughed haughtily and flew over to where Benjamin lay on his back against a boulder. "Is this what everyone has been cowering from?" he said to no one in particular. He bent over him and was about to pick him up- probably to parade his triumph around like a trophy- when Benjamin's eyes shot open. The metallic gloves ejected sharp claws from the finger-tips as Benjamin pressed it up into Vortex's chest.

Vortex gasped, eyes going wide. Benjamin knew what was going through his mind. He had seen the same expression on every victim he had destroyed. It was a realization; an abrupt and frightening understanding that their immortality was limited. Benjamin grinned and twisted the claws, grabbing hold of a familiar object and ripping it out forcefully.

The ghost fell backwards, gasping and screaming in panic, looking down at the bleeding, empty gash in his chest. "No! You can't beat me!" he shouted in astonishment.

Benjamin stood up, holding the still thumping, blood-soaked heart in a metallic-gloved hand. The claws retracted. "Restless spirit, I have ended your suffering." He tossed off one of the gloves, it clanking as it hit the ground, and handed the heart to his free hand. Gripping it gently, small flames began to rise from it as he began to burn it.

Vortex watched in terror and began swaying back and forth weakly.

The heart had stopped beating and began to shrivel away into nothing but a small puddle of green goo. Benjamin watched it, eyes focused completely on the burning heart. When there was nothing left but some burning, bubbling blood, he glanced at Vortex, who had fallen now to the ground- dead.

"Soon," Benjamin said softly, "I shall end my suffering as well."

A rustle of movement made the red eyes staring down at the body of his latest victim flash. Seeing a figure coming toward him, he jumped at it, bringing the claws of the gauntlets out. He grabbed hold of a shoulder, and sent both of them falling to the ground. In a blood-thirsty fury, he sent the claws down over the chest, but they were quickly stopped by what he could only guess was an invisible force field.

"Benjamin!"

He recognized the voice, and it brought him out of his wrath, allowing him to see who he had attacked. He saw the all-black figure of Penelope underneath him, eyes wide with terror and fear. She was still, staring down at the gauntlet poised at her chest.

Benjamin looked at it as well. It hovered inches away from contact. Had it not been for their deal- the deal she had desperately offered so long ago to help him in return for being the last ghost he destroyed- she would have been dead. Fortunately enough for her, he could not break his vows.

He locked eyes with her for a moment and then rolled off of her, sitting down on the ground. She sat up, shivering.

"What do you want?" he asked coldly, avoiding her gaze.

Penelope paused, still recovering from the attack. She knew better than to approach him when he was fighting another ghost. He was sent into a vicious hypnosis that he could not get back out of easily. She had realized too late, however, that he had just finished off a victim.

"Penelope!" Benjamin barked impatiently.

She looked up at him. "I- I found out what you wanted to know... about Danny Phantom."

The irritation and anger was suddenly erased from his expression and his brow lifted with interest. "What did you find?" he asked.

She stared at his eyes. They were pleading, hopeful. She forced away her desire to tell him the truth. _No,_ she told herself, _this is the only way to save myself._ "I know what makes him what he is. A halfa."

He waited.

"It's his heart."

Benjamin gave her a puzzled expression. "His heart?"

"You've said yourself that the heart is the symbol of life. Well, apparently it's more than just a symbol."

Benjamin stared at her and smiled unnervingly. "How did you come across this information?"

Penelope hesitated, but only for a moment. "The parents. Danny Phantom's friend told me that they did a study and found his heart to be the key to his powers. Don't you see, Benjamin? Replace your heart with his, and you can live again!"

The smile on Benjamin's face faded and she feared for a moment that he knew what she was doing. Though many had tried to remove Benjamin's heart to kill him, it did nothing, but she had guessed that if Benjamin removed his own heart, he would die. How to make him was the problem. Now, at last, she had figured it out, and to add to it, she would also be rid of an annoying old foe. But his expression was unnerving her. _He knows!_

Benjamin's fiery red eyes looked up and locked with hers. "I... can live again." His voice was soft, barely audible. It was so... innocent sounding, in a strange way, and it made Penelope look away from him. She had to do this.

"Yes, you can live again."

Benjamin suddenly looked up at her with a determination she had never seen in him before. "Take me to him."


	17. Point Of Weakness

**Little note about this chapter: I've already told you that the story begins after PP- the end of the series cry- for Danny, but not for the Teen Titans. Their time-line begins after Aftershock, as you will see explained in this chapter.**

**Enjoy! **

* * *

Tucker drove the Specter Speeder through the Ghost Zone, eyes focused out of the window for any sign of Reaper or Vortex. They had made one detour on their trip, spending a large amount of their time trying to figure out how to hide a portal leading into Amity Park. They had at last found a door to cover it with, figuring that Reaper wouldn't be able to figure out whether the door was the portal.

After this task was finished, they had returned on their course, but had not found anything since.

"So... you beat Reaper," Tucker said conversationally to Skulker, who flew beside the Specter Speeder, "and I've just been wondering... how did you do it?"

Skulker looked into the Specter Speeder irritably, but to Tucker's surprise, he responded.

"He got overconfident," Skulker said, "and didn't think that anyone could beat him. I built my suit specifically designed to keep Reaper from getting to my heart. He can't break through my metal with that blasted cane of his. I used a crystal that sucks out the strength of anyone touches it to contain him. I thought he could never get out of it, but this is what happens when you get overconfident. He escaped and killed someone I had... feelings for," he struggled with those words, "all to lure me to my death."

A short silence fell over them.

Tucker quickly changed the subject. "It's your suit?" he asked, remembering all of the times Danny had disassembled and trashed it.

Skulker nodded.

"Do you have any more of that crystal?" Robin asked.

"I wouldn't try fighting him without it," Skulker replied.

"What makes you think he won't get out of it again?" Robin asked.

"I'm going to take him to Walker. He'll be so heavily guarded that air won't be able to get in without them knowing it."

"You sound confident," Raven said.

Skulker flashed an angry look at her and then replied irritably, "I'm not. There will always be the possibility that he'll get out, but that way it's less likely. Since we can't kill ghosts like he can, that's the best-" Skulker stopped, staring down at an island some distance below them.

"Skulker?" Tucker asked.

"Reaper. Below us," Skulker said, pointing at the island some distance beneath them.

The teens leaned over the front of the Specter Speeder to see two small figures beneath them, one very obviously Reaper, the other nothing more than a black dot.

"Tucker," Robin said.

"I'm on it," he said, bringing the nose of the vehicle down.

Skulker sped ahead of them, activating his guns and firing them.

Reaper looked up at them, made a gesture that sent the black figure beside him hurrying off of the island and began returning fire.

Skulker dodged them easily and removed a clear crystal from a compartment on his suit. When at last he landed- beside a puddle of green goo- he stood at a distance, firing green blasts from the guns on his arms.

Reaper dodged them with an almost casual air, stepping to the side, or ducking with a nonchalant expression on his face.

The Specter Speeder landed nearby and the teens piled out. Robin equipped his bo-staff while Raven and Starfire took to the air.

Reaper glanced at them with calculating, fiery red eyes, and then looked at Skulker again.

He turned to fire powerful blasts at the oncoming threats, though his attention remained focused on Skulker.

The teens scattered to avoid them, but continued forward. Robin was at him first, swinging his staff with intense and determined ferocity. Reaper, however, did not budge, nor did he flinch as the staff was brought to his face. Robin nearly fell from the force of his own swing as it zipped through Reaper's face and whirled around to the floor. The red-eyed ghost brought up his cane and brought it down onto the stumbling teen's back, forcing him to the ground with a grunt and thump.

Reaper moved just in time to avoid green blasts, but from two different directions. One came from Skulker, the other from Starfire. As they backed him away, Starfire flew down to Robin and helped him to his feet. "Are you alright?" she asked with concern.

"Yeah," Robin said, panting a little, "But I need a different tactic."

She looked at Reaper, who was now facing off completely with Skulker, jumping from one spot to the next while shooting red blasts at his attacker.

"You're going to PAY!" Skulker shouted as he fired his blasts. He wasn't really trying to hit him at the moment, but just biding his time until the perfect moment- the moment he could get right up on him and touch the crystal to his skin.

Reaper grinned dangerously, but said nothing. His eyes said enough. _No_, they said, _I think not._ Suddenly the ghost was enveloped in black and stiffened. He appeared to be attempting to fire, fire, struggle, anything he could think of, but the blackness around him held fast.

Raven stood a few feet away, arms raised, eyes full and bright white as she concentrated. "Touch him, Skulker! Touch him with the crystal!" she screamed.

Skulker ran forward, holding the clear object out in front of him.

Raven held him and then felt something, a presence in her mind. It spoke with the chill of an icicle, piercing, yet soft: _"Daughter of Trigon! You wish to stop me, yet you cannot even hold me."_

She looked up abruptly in time to see the ghost enclosed in black disappear. Then she felt a touch on her shoulder.

"Look deeper," Reaper said and shot a red- rather pathetic- blast at her. She knew it was just to get her attention. She was thrown onto her back.

Skulker, meanwhile, had had only a foot more to finally touch the crystal to the ghost that had caused him so much pain, when he had completely vanished. He looked around confusedly and then saw him appear behind Raven.

"Raven!" Starfire shouted, firing a green blast at Reaper.

In an instance, one Reaper became two, became four standing beside a fifth. The fifth dodged the blast easily and one of the others flew up and began to chase Starfire, eyes blazing with delight.

Starfire stopped mid-flight, staring at the approaching ghost with wide eyes. The others below had dispersed to deal with the other teens –even Tucker, who ran for the Specter Speeder helplessly- and Skulker, while the fifth one, the _real_ Reaper stood a few feet away from Raven, watching her.

Raven got to her feet. She could feel her body slowly lapsing into a fit of shivers and knew it was not from the blow she had received.

_"The Daughter of Trigon is not so powerful, are you? Not when you fight alone, no. You're not,"_ the voice- Reaper's voice- said in her mind.

She stood up and unleashed black bolts, which Reaper blocked it with a simple shield.

_"You cannot beat me. You know this well,"_ the voice said with a tone of factuality that made flinch slightly. _"You cannot... but Trigon could, couldn't he now?"_

"NO!" she shouted back at him. It drew the attention of her friends briefly, but it was not long before they were distracted by their own personal Reapers.

Reaper extended his hand and unleashed bright, blue flashes of electricity from his fingertips. Raven put up a shield, but was pushed back by the force nonetheless.

_"Take me down! You could, if only you used what gifts you inherited... just once... just once more..."_

It had been a while since her last 'fit', if you would, but they had been more frequent. Terra had caused the most recent and it had cost her, but maybe... she knew very well that what Reaper said was true. She couldn't beat him by herself, especially with everyone else occupied at the moment... but maybe.

She felt it boiling up inside her and she tried to fight.

_"I'm going to kill them all... one by one... and you shall live to watch me do it!"_

It was growing, that boiling inside her, and more rapidly.

_"Slowly, slowly I will kill them. One after the other. Slowly, slowly... like the breathing ghost... but... much... more... slowly."_

The image of Danny in the hall, the cane in his chest, Reaper standing over him with that excited, blood-thirsty look in his eyes came to her mind and the boiling inside her began to overflow.

She was being pushed back by the electricity, but she didn't notice. Her mind was occupied with that boiling, trying to keep it down, trying to keep herself calm, but the vision in her head kept returning. Her head was burning and the boiling had reached her skin, giving her bright red marks on her hands.

_"One by one... slowly, slowly..."_ Reaper repeated these words to her over and over and the vision wouldn't go away, but now, she was seeing it with Robin, with Starfire, Cyborg and Beast Boy.

"NO!" she screamed again and felt power fill her, the power she had felt several times before, but she could never get used to the crazy feeling it gave her. She felt indestructible.

Reaper suddenly ceased the flow of electricity and stared at her patiently and in the back of her mind, the subconscious that was still partly herself, she realized in horror that he knew her weakness, probably her strengths, too and that he had just beaten her, but was now helpless to stop it.

Raven arose into the air, her forehead carrying a red symbol glowing as brightly as her- now- four red eyes.

Reaper only watched and smiled.

Raven pointed her hands at him, but he was already gone, appearing behind her in a flash. The power radiating from her was overwhelming, and he took a brief moment to envy it, but immediately returned to what he was doing and shot lightning through her, casting brilliant shadows and flashes of light onto the ground below.

Still, even as she was losing consciousness, she heard the words in her mind, rolling round and round like an old, broken tape; _"One by one... slowly, slowly..." _She held onto these as you might hold onto a root as you hung above a large chasm and managed to keep herself awake for longer than Reaper had expected, but inevitable came and the root tore away from the earth, sending her spiraling down in the chasm.

She fell to the ground, making dust rise up from around her limp body.

Reaper stared down at her and then turned his attention to the other four still conscious, still fighting.

_One..._


	18. Precious Gift

Robin was having his own problems with the Reaper he was facing. He had a ghost shield around himself, but that didn't change the fact that the fight would never end if neither of them could hit each other. Reaper's blows were useless, unable to break through the shield, yet Robin's bo-staff simply wisped through the ghost in front of him as he went intangible.

Not long after the fight had begun, he heard a scream and turned to see what had caused it, but had little time to find out before Reaper had found another way to attack him.

Robin hadn't noticed- which he rebuked himself for severely later- but his Reaper had been backing him up towards the Specter Speeder. In it were both ghost weapons and the few non-ghost weapons Robin and his team had brought just in case they should need them.

Reaper had been able to guess as much thanks to Robin's useless bo-staff, but it managed to go through the shield he wore with no problems, and the ghost noted it. So he had backed him, distracted him with pointless attacks- unbeknownst to Robin occasionally trying to reach out and grab the bo-staff when it came out of the shield- until he was just a few feet away from it.

Reaper made a quick turn around, putting the Specter Speeder behind him. He glanced away from Robin as he swung a useless blow at him and spotted what he had wanted. He reached a hand inside and pulled out a wrench. That would do. It wasn't a ghost weapon and a ghost shield would be nothing but air to it.

The teen stopped swinging abruptly with surprise and jumped back, barely missing the sweep of the wrench penetrating the shield with ease and nearly getting him in the ribs. Again, he heard another scream, but this one he could identify. It was Raven, shouting, not screaming, but it sounded desperate... furious. He knew all too well what that meant. He heard Starfire call for her, but could not himself, as Reaper was swinging that wrench he had found like a madman, penetrating the shield again and again, each time making Robin feel the touch of metal, light, but unnervingly close.

* * *

Starfire, meanwhile, was growing dismayed as none of her shots made contact with the enemy she faced, but this was not the only thing that troubled her. He also seemed not to be trying very hard to fight her. He mostly flew around, watching her, but never attacking.

Reaper dodged, fired some lazy shots, but mostly was circling her like a vulture, watching her with those fiery red eyes.

This made her grow impatient and irritated. He was playing with her. Enough was enough. She stopped shooting and flew straight at him.

He, too, stopped mid-flight and watched her approach. He didn't attempt to get out of her way, nor stop her with red bolts, but only floated there, allowing her to ram into him and send them both flying backwards and then plummeting downwards. As they fell, she raised her fist to punch and then paused, seeing the old, helpless face of the man she had originally helped and freed. But it was brief, for the grin that past his face now brought back the cold, heartless face of a monster.

They landed with a loud thud onto the island, Reaper beneath her and taking most of the impact.

Before she had time to recollect herself, he had pushed her off of him and was up and standing. He began walking away from her, heading over to where Robin was fighting.

Quickly, she got to her feet and went after him. He must have sensed it, for her turned and shot a powerful red beam at her, sending her backwards and onto her back again.

"Leave here, friend," Reaper said, looking at her serenely, "I will warn you only once."

"I will not leave my friends!" Starfire said, standing back up, her fists clenched and eyes blazing.

"Are we no longer friends?" he asked with a tone she had heard from him only when she had first freed him.

"Do not try to trick me!" she shouted.

"I would not trick a friend."

"Stop it!" she shouted, her voice cracking a little at the end. She didn't want to hurt him. He seemed only lost, and perhaps he could be helped, but she knew he was a killer, had tried to kill one of her new friends. He was dangerous- like Slade, her sister, and all of the other villains they had fought, no matter what he said. It didn't change what he had done.

"You were the first, Starfire, to show me mercy. Let me die a thousand more deaths should I not return the favor..." he paused, staring at her seriously. "Leave, Starfire."

"I am sorry," she said, "But I will not leave... and you must fight me." She tightened her fists again, preparing herself for the fight.

He sighed and his hands began to glow red. "Very well." He began to fire at her, and this time was trying. He used him most powerful bolts and was shooting with a speed that alarmed her.

She flew up into the air, red bolts following her like the tail of a lighter in the dark. Reaper remained on the ground, firing at her, though he was backing up, backing towards Robin.

* * *

Tucker was running for his life, having no way to defend himself. He had at first tried to head for the Specter Speeder, but that path had been blocked by an oncoming Reaper and Robin, so he turned and went looking for cover of some sort- but what kind of cover could he find in the Ghost Zone; Reaper's domain?

The Reaper behind him wasn't trying very hard to catch him. He was just chasing him for the fun of it; to scare him- and keep him from helping anyone else.

This was when Tucker ran face first into Skulker as he was looking back at the ghost just a few feet behind him. He fell to the ground with a thud, his head pounding and thumping painfully.

Skulker turned, looked down at him for a moment and then returned firing at the Reaper had had already been fighting, who was trying to close the gap between them and approach him. He turned his guns only for a moment to fire at the Reaper that had been chasing Tucker, making him disappear in a puff of red smoke.

Tucker looked up with wide eyes and then turned his head slowly to Skulker. "Did you kill it?"

Skulker didn't answer immediately, his mind currently being occupied with the red-eyed phantom several feet away. Then, he answered. "One of them," Skulker said. His Reaper was proving to be more difficult, however. He couldn't manage a single shot at him.

"Do you have a gun?" he asked Tucker without taking his eyes from Reaper, who was now closer than was comfortable.

"No," Tucker answered, slowly getting to his feet. He looked around at the fight that had been going on around him briefly. Robin was a little ways off, fighting a Reaper, but it didn't look like he was getting much progress. The two of them had now backed off from the Specter Speeder; Robin jumping backwards as Reaper swung a tool at him over and over. Starfire was not far from the two of them. She had been forced to the ground, and had, for the moment -for some strange reason- stopped fighting. She was instead staring at her Reaper. Raven remained where she had fallen, limp and- he feared- perhaps even dead. Skulker and him were on the complete opposite side of the island from the others, which placed the Specter Speeder smack in the middle.

"No weapons?" Skulker asked when he could get a few words in.

"No," Tucker replied, still looking around as the fight between Starfire and Reaper suddenly continued, but with much more vigor.

Skulker sighed irritably. "Fine. Get to the Specter Speeder and alert the Ghost Boy that we're under attack. Even _you _could manage that."

Tucker nodded and- a little dizzily- began making his way back to the Specter Speeder.

* * *

Benjamin had no interest in killing the teens- as he did not like killing the living, it being such a precious, wonderful gift- but he was growing irritated with their persistence; particularly Starfire's. He half admired it, half hated it. Of all of them, he did not want to kill her, but he could fight her. Yes. He could fight her, but he didn't _have_ to kill her. And he wouldn't. No... He owed her that little.

He watched his doubles working and felt one die at Skulker's hand. He would die. Oh yes, he would die. Nothing would stop him from accomplishing this.

Out of the corner of one of his double's eyes, he saw one of the teens- the one that couldn't fight- heading towards the Specter Speeder.

He turned from his course towards Robin and stared at the teen as he made his way- rather clumsily, he noticed- toward the vehicle that had come in. It was surely an interesting piece of metal, and if he had been alive, he would have admired it greatly, but not right now. Right now, such little things as fine craftsmanship didn't matter.

He began making his way towards the vehicle as well, watching the teen with interest. What was he doing? Did they have more weapons concealed in that hulk of cylinder of metal? Possibly, but any weapon in that weakling's hand- even that wretched crystal Skulker had- would equate to little more than a sling.

_But didn't David defeat Goliath with nothing but a sling?_ Yes, he did, and this he had to consider. He would not be as foolish as Goliath. Not again. He would never again underestimate even the weakest-looking of enemies. He would approach with caution then.

The teen got there first and jumped inside, pressing buttons on the front as quickly and then putting something into his ear that extended to his mouth.

_Ahh. Communications._ As he thought this, an idea occurred to him. He didn't want to kill the breathers, but couldn't very well leave them here and be followed, but perhaps there was a way yet to preserve them... and preserve Starfire; Starfire the Merciful. That was one life he could never waste. It was too precious; far too precious and far too rare.

Reaper came around from the back of the vehicle so as not to draw the attention of the teen sitting in the seat. He looked around briefly at the fight unfolding. It would not be long before the black-headed one was taken, Trigon's daughter would not wake for a long while yet, and he was quite certain Starfire could be taken, but Skulker was posing as a serious problem; the miserable creature! Soon, very soon, Skulker would be dealt the justice that was as inevitable as shadow. Oh yes... very soon.

He returned his attention to the boy in the vehicle as he began speaking into the communications.

"Danny! Sam! Somebody! Pick up!" the boy said, though quiet so no one would hear him. Poor fool.

"Tucker, what it is?" answered a female voice.

"We're under attack! We found Reaper but he's... he's... we can't handle him! He already took out Raven."

"What about Robin and Starfire? Are they okay? Are you?" asked a male voice. He recognized it immediately as the voice of the one who wore metal, like a robot or cyborg from science-fiction movies and things. Now that he thought about it, he recalled that being his name; Cyborg.

"I'm okay. Robin and Starfire are trying to fight him."

"Okay, hold on! We're coming, just don't-" the voice of the female began.

Reaper then came into the teen's view and gave him a second to register and shout. That was all that was needed. He reached in, grabbed the boy by the shirt and yanked him out. The boy tried to hold onto the walls and seats, but to no good.

Reaper held him a moment and then gave him a pitiful amount of electricity that immediately knocked him out cold. Dropping him carelessly, he got into the vehicle- after grabbing the little ear plug from the incapacitated youth's ear- and looked at the buttons with interest. No time to figure them out, though. There were things that needed to be done.


	19. Checkmate

Reaper came to him in his dream, but he bore no weapons, no blood-thirsty stare. He, instead, was sitting at a table with a chessboard in front of him. He looked up at Danny and gave a broad smile. "Care for a game?" he asked.

Danny didn't, but he walked over anyway and sat down in the seat opposite him. He screamed at himself to get away, go run, get up, do something! But he didn't move. He sat in the chair, looking down at the chess pieces. There were five pieces on each side. He felt himself shudder at the sight of them. They were little miniatures of Robin, Starfire, Skulker, Raven and Tucker. On Reaper's side, there were five little miniatures of himself.

"Do you know how to play?" Reaper asked. He was strangely companionable, which only made Danny even more terrified than he already was. He knew he wouldn't be able to get anything out of his mouth, so he only nodded and the first move was made. Skulker moved forward by himself onto the board.

Reaper looked at the piece, and then moved one of his own forward, straight into Skulker's path.

The Robin piece in front of him moved next, cutting across to where he faced the vulnerable Reaper-piece.

"Good move, but he's exposed now," Reaper said, looking at the board with intense interest. Danny even saw enjoyment in those eyes, but it was hungry and dangerous. The Reaper piece moved sideways knocked over the Robin-piece.

Danny felt his lips, mouth and throat suddenly become dry. He was desperately trying to wake himself up, but to no avail.

"Your move," Reaper said.

The game continued, the pieces of Danny's side moving on their own accord, and Reaper moving his. After a while, all of the pieces were in play. One of the Reaper-pieces had been taken, but two- the Raven and Tucker-pieces- had also been taken.

Reaper looked down at the board, forefinger and thumb on his chin in a contemplative manner. "Whose move is it?" he asked abruptly.

Danny shrugged. He didn't know.

Reaper looked down at the board again and then removed his hand from his chin. "Ah! It's mine."


	20. The Deal

He woke up to the sound of Tucker- it was so good to hear his voice- but it sounded panicked, tired and shaky. He opened his eyes and sat up on the couch. Sam had already rushed over to the communications and was asking Tucker questions. It was not long before Cyborg and Beast Boy had joined her.

Tucker told them that he was fine, but Raven was down for the count and the others weren't doing so well, either.

Danny got to his feet- the pain in his chest had eased some, but not entirely and it still hurt to move- and began heading over to the communications when he heard Tucker shout.

"Tucker!" he rushed over, heard something like crackling or maybe static, and then the drone of a battle in the background.

"Tucker!" Sam shouted into the microphone. No response... at first.

"Your companion isn't feeling well, I'm afraid, but feel free to tell me the message, and I will pass it on as soon as he wakes."

They froze, still as stone statues, at the sound of Reaper's voice coming through the speaker.

For a long moment, all any of them could do was stand there, almost paralyzed. Did he win? And if he did, what happened to the others?

Forcing away his fear, Danny took the microphone from Sam's hands and spoke into with- he thought- a steady voice. "Where's Tucker?"

"Strange... I did not expect you to answer, Dan," Reaper said, saying his name like he would a long-time friend. It made Danny's stomach churn.

"Where's Tucker?!" Danny shouted again, gripping the microphone tighter. He was going to break it if he tightened any more.

"Ah-ah, not your turn. It's mine. You can ask your questions when I play my piece."

Danny bit his tongue.

"How do you get this screen on?" Reaper asked suddenly.

Sam, who was standing beside him, had fully recovered now and saw Danny was having a little trouble. She took the microphone gently from him, seeing his fist immediately return into a tight fist and answered coldly, "Little grey button on the bottom left next to the screen."

A pause and then the screen turned on, viewing the smiling face of Reaper. "Ah! Thank you," he said and looked into the screen, eyes immediately fixing on Danny.

None of them said it, but as they stared at him, all of them became aware of how powerful he had become; not because of his size- he actually looked about the same he did the last time- but because they could see it in his eyes. It was as clear as the wound on Danny's chest.

"Where are our friends?!" Beast Boy suddenly shouted at the screen angrily.

Reaper regarded him with a brief glance before returning his stare on Danny. That stare made him feel so small, so vulnerable. He didn't meet those eyes.

"They are well for the time being," Reaper replied.

"If you hurt them-" Sam began, but the ghost cut her off.

"I have no interest in doing them any more harm than has already been given," he said, "but if you or anyone other than Danny speaks again, I might just put that feeling aside."

Sam paled and shut her mouth, staring up at him hatefully.

Reaper returned his attention to Danny, which made him shudder. "Back to business."

"What do you want?" Danny asked. His fists were clenched so tightly that he could feel the nails biting into his flesh. It hurt, but he didn't notice. He felt like he was going to explode from rage... and fear.

"Your friends have been an extreme irritation," he said, but his tone seemed indifferent, like this was boring to him, "and I considered killing them, but I had a better idea."

Danny stared, holding his breath- unaware of how desperately Reaper wanted to do such a simple thing- feeling dread and fear rise up inside him like he was going to throw up.

"I'm going to kill you, Danny," Reaper said factually, "but perhaps you can save your friends before I do."

He felt warm liquid in his fists and knew it was blood. He had broken skin, but it didn't matter. He was shaking, but that didn't matter, his chest had begun hurting ever since Reaper's voice had spoken over the microphone, but that didn't matter either. All that mattered was what was going through his head. He knew what Reaper was saying before he even said it.

"Come willingly, and I vow that I will not kill your friends... and your family. That's the deal."

Danny felt himself shaking harder and his each breath was more difficult. He had not killed his friends, but he would, if he didn't agree.

"If not," Reaper continued, "I'll kill them and then kill you anyway, but I speak truthfully when I say I'd rather do it the other way."

The tension in the room suddenly grew so thick that they could almost taste it in the air. Danny stood silently, feeling sick and nauseous; Sam stared at the screen with furious horror- perhaps even with murder- and it took all of her will power to keep her mouth shut; Beast Boy and Cyborg were exchanging glances of dismay and defeat.

Reaper, who was staring down at Danny patiently, suddenly turned and looked to his right as something drew his attention. Without a word, he left, eyes glowing dangerously.

As soon as he was out of sight, Sam spoke with such fury it made her voice shiver, "We have to go. He's not killing you, Danny. No way. He'll never lay a-" she stopped, staring at his pale face. His eyes were distant and she knew he was thinking it over- truly thinking about taking the deal! "Danny, no!"

"What am I supposed to do?!" he shouted at her fiercely. "I can't fight him, Sam! I can't! I couldn't before and I definitely can't now!"

"You're not thinking straight," Sam protested.

"He's not killing anyone," Cyborg said, turning to them. "We'll find a way."

"Yeah, we always do," Beast Boy said, but the cheer he usually had in his voice was not present.

"You saw him!" Danny said with exasperation, his voice trembling. "We CAN'T fight him! If I don't agree, he'll kill them and then he'll come here and kill all of us."

"No, he won't! Stop saying that!" Sam screamed.

"LOATHSOME WRETCH!"

All arguments stopped and they looked up at the screen. Yes, that had been Reaper's voice, they all recognized him immediately.

"Curse that contemptible suit!" Reaper shouted again. He suddenly appeared in the screen, annoyed, his face twisted into a look of outright rage. He looked at Danny impatiently. "Choose now, Danny Boy, or let them die."

"I'll come," Danny said, forcing the words out of his mouth with effort, like a bitter taste.

Sam's head snapped at him, her eyes wide with terror and disbelief. "What?!"

"You wish them dead, pretty girl?" Reaper asked his voice and face slowly returning to the composed look he had been wearing earlier.

Sam closed her mouth, her bottom lip trembling a little.

"I'll come," Danny repeated, "but you have to vow first."

Reaper nodded, his smile returning, but it was once again dangerous and eager, and his eyes had become like he had seen in his previous dreams; bloodthirsty. "I vow that I shall not kill your friends or your family once you are dead."

Danny shivered at the last word.

Reaper's eyes suddenly filled with something he had never seen before- hope and an excitement that resembled that of a little kid on his birthday. He looked down at Danny again and smiled broadly. "It is agreed then." And he turned off the screen and microphone, leaving them alone in utter, painful silence. Danny knew everyone was staring at him, he could feel them, but he wasn't paying much attention. He was trying to stop the shakes that had overtaken him, and desperately trying to hold back the tears that were forming in his eyes.


	21. Blessing or Curse?

"Life! Life! LIFE!" Reaper shouted. "Oh, what a beautiful thing! It's so close, Penelope! So close! It's so close that it hurts!"

Penelope stared at him, trying to look indifferent, but she was still struggling with herself. She couldn't turn back now, though, and she knew it. If she told him the truth, he would give her a fate far worse than a second death.

Benjamin saw none of this on her face. He was looking at his surroundings, planning while idly observing everything around him. The Titans and the helpless boy were nowhere in sight, he having taken them to a door he had deemed a good place to keep them until his work was completed. Skulker was lying a few feet away from where he now stood, unmoving. Benjamin had tried everything to get into that suit- to get to the ghost somewhere inside that had caused him years of endless misery- but was finding this a more difficult task than he had expected. Sharp objects couldn't penetrate the metal skin- built particularly in mind for Benjamin's cane- and the bolts (which had been upgraded since past fights with a certain Ghost Boy) were welded over with the metal to strengthen it and more firmly connect each piece, making it impossible to take apart. It had certainly been improved since their last encounter. He was fairly certain that if he banged it a few times he might at last get inside, but he couldn't be distracted and that would take too long. He wanted to focus on his key to life. Oh, that wonderful boy! How he couldn't wait to see that heart in his hand! In his chest! His beating chest! It excited him so much that he was verging on delirium.

"You don't think he's going to try anything?" Penelope asked.

"No. I expect nothing from the boy," Benjamin said placidly, "but I expect his friends to try something, but it's nothing to concern ourselves over." _Careful. Do not become Goliath when you are so close to success!_

"You truly believe he's going to let you kill him?" Penelope asked, her tone almost a scoffing laugh.

She was answered, at first, with a long, thick silence, and then: "I would have given my life ten times over to save my wife," Benjamin said, his tone suddenly changing to a sorrowful, severe tone. "He will die for his friends."

Penelope didn't say anything.

Benjamin suddenly looked at her with curious interest. "Why do you ask?"

She paused. He didn't like that.

"Why are you so nervous, Penelope?"

She hesitated again and again he didn't like it, but at last she answered with a factual tone; "It just feels so easy. Nothing comes easy."

"Easy?!" he laughed. "I've failed once, spent thousands of miserable- oh so miserable!- years as a prisoner with no company but my own mind, lost all of my power and had to regain them. I would not call that easy."

Penelope looked at him for a moment, then; "Benjamin..."

He looked at her, noticing she was still nervous, but there was something else, though he couldn't place it. She looked scared, but why? "Yes?"

She hesitated a moment and then continued, "What will you do when... when you become alive again?"

He smiled softly. "I will breathe."

"That's not precisely what I mean..."

He looked at her and suddenly understood. Her eyes said it all. He should have seen it earlier. "I will finish what I started and then I will put the Ghost Zone behind me; all ghosts with it."

She looked down at the ground and nodded.

Benjamin looked out into the Ghost Zone for a moment thoughtfully and then turned to her again. "I am going to be very near the breathers when Danny comes. While I am occupied with him, I will need you watching his friends. If they move, alert me."

"I will," she said.

Benjamin's eyes flashed and- before she even saw him move- he had fired a red blast near the rocks behind her.

"Don't shoot, Reaper! It's me!" shouted a small voice from behind it.

"Come out, then, Bertrand," Benjamin said, relaxing from the battle-stance he had melted into.

"What are you doing sneaking around like that?" Penelope asked angrily, putting her hands on her hips.

"Sorry. I saw Skulker and got nervous," Bertrand said, slowly coming out from behind the rock.

Penelope felt her chest tighten suddenly as fear returned to her. What if he had found something that contradicted with what she had told Reaper? She couldn't let him talk- not until she had had a chance to warn him. She needed to do something; quickly!

She flew towards him abruptly, grabbed his shoulders and put on a mask of irritation. "Where have you been? What took you so long?" she was building up her voice, so as to make Benjamin think they were about to get in an argument and hopefully turn his attention to other things.

"Skulker caught me following the teens. Speaking of that-"

"Did I find anything out? Yes. I did. In a minute I'll tell you everything that happened while you were gone," Penelope interrupted quickly.

"I wasn't going to say that," Bertrand said indignantly. "I was going to say that I-"

"Must you blabber on?" Penelope asked impatiently.

"You're tense, Penelope," Reaper stated blandly from behind her.

She froze. _Oh, I'm caught! He knows! He must know!_ She turned slowly and faced Benjamin, who was leaning against the Specter Speeder, looking at her intently.

"I-" she began, but he interrupted her, smiling softly.

"Calm yourself. This will all be over soon, I assure you," he smiled again. It was so soft, so sweet, and almost kind. She stared at him, almost not believing it. He didn't know. _How could he not know?_ she thought to herself,_ I must have stumbled a dozen times!_ But no, she knew, he didn't know. What amazing luck! But was it?

"I didn't find anything out," Bertrand said, taking advantage of the momentary silence.

Penelope didn't notice. She was looking at that smile; that beautiful, charming smile. Curse that smile!

"That's alright," Benjamin said, looking at the black form known sometimes as Spectra. "Penelope did."

Bertrand looked up at her with interest. "Really?"

"Yes... and like I said, I'll tell you all about it later," she said, but her eyes never strayed, until she realized Benjamin was staring back her. She could his eyes upon her like beams of heat. She looked into those eyes, hoping, almost pleading to see something in them that would make her change her mind, but the reflection she saw was cold and she knew that he when the time came that he must kill her, he wouldn't give it a second thought. She branded her mind with that look and would remind herself of it every time she had doubts from here on in. She was decided.


	22. Getting to the Trouble

"When we get there, we're going to need to get the others out of harm's way first," Cyborg said. "That's our first priority. Reaper comes second."

"While we're working on that, Danny, you've got to stall," Sam said, turning to him.

"Stall a ghost who's been cooped up in a piece of ghost-crystal-stuff for thousands of years? I doubt he's going to be very patient with me."

"Who's the Goth here, you or me?" Sam asked.

Danny smiled faintly.

"Give it a try."

"Okay, yeah, the plan's great... but how are we supposed to get _into_ the Ghost Zone without a ride?" Beast Boy asked. "Dudes, we're stranded here!"

"I think I could fly me and Sam there, but that's going to use up most- probably all- of my energy. I won't be able to fight when we get there."

"Dude, no offense, but you're not looking too good. I don't know if you're going to be able to even lift yourself," Beast Boy said.

"Can you even transform?" Sam asked.

Danny paused a moment thoughtfully, and then nodded. "Yeah, I can and once I do we need to split. I'm not going to be able to hold it long."

"Beast Boy can fly me and _we_ will take care of the fighting," Cyborg said, giving Danny a companionable, gentle pat on the back.

Danny smiled; this one a little brighter.

"Alright. Let's see what you got," Cyborg said, stepping back a little and folding his arms over his chest. Beast Boy came to stand beside. Sam remained where she was, watching him with concern.

Danny looked at each of them for a moment and then took in a deep breath. Focusing on his task, white rings began to form around his waist. It didn't hurt, as he had thought it would, but it _did_ make him really tired. As they passed over him, he felt a pang of weakness, but fought it. When at last he was changed, he took another deep breath and let it out slowly. Then, quickly, he turned to Sam. "We've got to go."

_One by one... slowly, slowly... one by one... slowly, slowly...._

_Get out! GET OUT!_

_Slowly, slowly, I will kill them... one after the other..._

Images flashing, images of home and a vague memory of something close by, something that scared her, but she didn't know what it was. Not then... but now...

_The Daughter of Trigon is not so powerful, are you? Daughter of Trigon... Daughter of Trigon... look deeper... look deeper... once... just once..._

"You!" Raven shouted, eyes opening as she sat upright from the ground where she lay. She looked around, wondering if maybe she had been dreaming. But no, she realized as her eyes took in where she was, that had not been a dream. Benjamin McElroy had been there, long ago, on Amaranth, looking for Trigon, hoping that he might reveal his secrets, tell him his purpose and give him power. She could remember him watching her, remember him passing through the cities, observing, saying little, and searching. He'd been there long enough to learn a few secrets. He knew their ways and may have even learned a little magic himself, though it was unlikely, but he'd learned enough while he had been there. He had looked harmless at the time, even old and fragile. His presence was dismissed, but she had felt something when he passed her, when he would look at her from a distance with a faraway look. She had sensed Reaper, that evil, dark being inside, who was waiting... waiting. He had likely tried to get to Trigon through her, but had luckily enough been unsuccessful. He'd left abruptly. No one noticed and Raven had forgotten about him as the years passed, which had become her undoing.

"Raven?"

She turned, looking around again. Robin was sitting up, rubbing his head with a grimace on his face. The others were unconscious on the ground, which she could see now was sand. .

"Where are we?" Robin asked, looking around and squinting at the bright, hot sun that hung high in the dry-blue sky.

"I don't know," Raven said. She looked ahead and saw nothing but dunes, sand and more sun. Nothing else. She looked behind her and could see something glinting brightly in the distance, though she couldn't make it out.

Robin, taking his hand from his head, began to gently shake Starfire, who lay beside him. After a few moments, she stirred and her eyes opened, though he wished that they hadn't. Those eyes were filled with defeat. "We have failed," she whispered sadly.

"We're still alive, so we haven't failed yet," Robin said.

"Yet is the key word," Raven said dryly. She looked beside her at Tucker and shook him harshly, making him jerk and sit up. His eyes shut suddenly and he fell back down onto his back, groaning and gritting his teeth. He was also shaking violently.

"Tucker? What's wrong?" Raven asked, touching him gently.

"H-how d-does D-D-Danny-y t-ta-k-ke it?" Tucker asked. "Elect-trocut-tion h-hurts! M-man, I'm f-f-f-freezing!"

"We're in the middle of the desert," Raven said.

"How d-d-did we g-get here?" Tucker asked, his shivering slowly subsiding.

"Reaper must have taken us here," Robin answered, looking around again gravely.

"He is going to kill our friend, Robin!" Starfire said, tears welling up in her eyes. "We could not save him!"

"Everything's going to be fine," Robin said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it gently. "He's not going to kill anybody."

"You probably shouldn't say that while we're stranded in the middle of nowhere," Raven said with her usual, dull tone.

"If we can get in, then we can get out," Robin said, standing. He walked over to where Tucker lay and slowly helped him up and onto his feet. Soon, they all stood in a small circle, looking around blankly.

"Which way, Robin?" Starfire asked. "It all looks not different."

"Are we on-n earth or... in the G-Ghost Zone?" Tucker asked, holding onto Robin's arm for support.

"I don't know," Robin said with a frown.

Tucker paused for a moment and then reached a shaking hand into his left pocket and pulled out his PDA. He frowned at it. "Reaper fried my PDA. I can't find the Specter Speeder's signal."

"I don't think you could even if it worked anyway," Robin said. His eyes locked on the glittering light in the distance. "I guess our only choice is to walk." With that, he turned and began heading towards the bright light. Raven, Tucker and Starfire followed after him, kicking up desert sand as they walked.

Danny hadn't been flying for very long before he was starting to lose his grip on his ghost side. He was continuously fighting the white rings as they flew and Sam had begun to get nervous.

"This was a bad idea," she said, looking up at him with concern. "We should stop and let you rest."

"I can make it," Danny insisted. Not a second after he had finished his sentence had those white rings appeared around his waist. With an effort, he forced them to disappear again.

"Okay, that's it," Sam said and looked ahead at Beast Boy and Cyborg, "Guys! Stop!"

"Thank you!" Beast Boy gasped, landing on the closest island and setting Cyborg down. He landed beside him and morphed into his normal, green, pointy-eared self, breathing heavily and tiredly. "Dude, you've got to lose some pounds!"

Danny landed nearby, set Sam down gently and landed in a sitting position, immediately transforming into Danny Fenton, who wasn't looking very good. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked physically drained.

"This isn't working," Sam said as she stared at him and then looked at Cyborg and Beast Boy, "Danny's too weak. We've got to think of something else."

"We're halfway there. I can make it the rest of the way after a little rest," Danny said, though his tired, breathy voice suggested otherwise.

"This was a bad idea," Sam said again with a frown.

"Don't worry, Sam," Cyborg said, "everything will work out, but for now, let's all just rest and think for a minute."

Sam looked at him and nodded vaguely.

They took a seat in a small circle, saying nothing, but thinking, as Cyborg had suggested, about what to do next. It was such a strange thing for their largest problem at the moment to be _getting_ to the trouble.


	23. The Train

The desert sun shown down on them, burning their skin and making them sweat. They didn't know how long they had been walking, as time didn't seem terribly relevant there. The sun never moved... not an inch, which was not good. Robin would have used the sun to pinpoint which direction they were going, but it wouldn't move, so it was useless except to dehydrate them.

Raven had removed her robe and was holding it over her arm. Starfire was walking with her head down, steadying Tucker as he walked beside her. Robin was ahead, looking out to that glitter that was getting closer and closer as they walked. He could not see what it was yet, but he could tell that it was long, stretching out and across the desert as far as he could see.

"Something's here," Raven suddenly said.

Robin looked back at her. "What? What's here?"

"I don't know," Raven said with a shrug.

"What if it's Reaper?" Tucker said.

They looked at him.

"I doubt he would have brought us here just to kill us after we woke up and wandered around for a while," Raven said.

"Robin, something is moving!" Starfire spoke, pointing out into the distance.

Robin looked. There was something moving and it was moving extremely fast. It zipped through the desert, a small pink dot in the distance. As it moved, Robin could see it traveling along the thing they were headed towards, turning as it turned.

"It's going really fast!" Tucker said, watching it.

"Let's see if we can meet up with it in the middle," Robin said and started running down the sand. The others, though all exhausted and hot, followed after him without a whine or a word, Starfire practically dragging Tucker behind her.

"We need to go fast. It's not going to take long for that thing to get here," Robin shouted behind him.

Starfire was flying now, holding Tucker by the arms and speeding past Robin and Raven. "Robin!" she shouted back. "Robin! They are tracks!"

Robin looked ahead and saw that she was right. Those things _were_ tracks and that the small pink dot- which was growing bigger and bigger- was a train, going along the tracks at an unbelievable speed.

"Hurry! It is almost here!" Starfire shouted, landing next to the tracks and putting Tucker down on his feet.

Suddenly, they all gazed as the train began to slow down.

Robin finally came up to the tracks as the train began nearing, closer and closer. He looked back and saw Raven close behind him. At last, the train stopped in front of them with a surprisingly quiet, creaking noise. Not a few seconds later, Raven was beside the three of them, looking at it with curiosity.

"Great. The train stopped... now what?" Tucker asked.

Robin looked at it. It was pink with a front that looked like a grinning face (this gave him involuntary shivers) and was long. "We might be able to ride this thing out of here... maybe..." Robin said. "Raven, can you open the doors?"

"NO NEED. ALLOW ME," boomed a mechanical voice from seemingly nowhere. Immediately, the doors on the sides opened with a slight hiss. "HOP ABOARD... MY INTERESTING NEW FRIENDS!"

They all looked at each other, eyes wide. Did the train just... talk? Before any of them could really think over it, Starfire was jumping aboard, pulling Tucker behind her. "Thank you very much!" she said as she stepped inside.

"Starfire!" Robin said as he reached out to grab her, but she was already inside.

"Yes?" she asked, peeking her head out of the door.

"Get out of there."

"YOUR VOICE PATTERNS INDICATE FEAR AND DISTRUST."

"Are you a ghost?" Robin asked.

"GHOST: TRANSLATION... THE SPIRIT OF ONE WHO HAS DIED. PROCESSING DATA... YES. I AM A GHOST."

"Do you know how to get back to the Ghost Zone?" Robin asked.

"GHOST ZONE: THE PLACE THE RESTLESS ARE SENT AFTER DEATH. YOU _ARE _IN THE GHOST ZONE."

"But... this is desert," Starfire said.

"YOU ARE IN ONE OF THE VARIOUS DOORS OCCUPYING THE GHOST ZONE."

"Are we in _your_ door?" Tucker asked.

"YES."

"Do you know where your door is? We need to leave here as soon as possible," Robin said.

The train paused, saying nothing for a long time, but at last, it spoke; "SEARCHING THROUGH DATABASE... THIS TRACK LEADS DIRECTLY TO THE DOOR. IT IS SEVERAL HUNDRED WHEELS (OR MILES, IF YOU PREFER) AWAY FROM HERE."

Robin looked down at the track and frowned. "You were going pretty fast earlier. How long would it take for you to get there?"

"UNDER PRIME CONDITIONS... NO MORE THAN TWENTY MINUTES."

Robin looked at the track again thoughtfully.

"Robin, he could get us out of here very quickly! We might be able to save Danny!" Starfire said excitedly.

"I don't know... I have a bad feeling," Robin said, "What do you think, Raven?"

Raven looked at the pink train thoughtfully and then answered in her usual, dull tone. "It's trouble."

"YOU HAVE EXQUISITE CONTROL OVER YOUR VOICE PATTERNS," the train said, "ALTHOUGH MY SCANS ARE DETECTING HIGH LEVELS OF ANXIETY."

"We've got a lot on our minds," Raven returned.

"Robin, please! He can help us!" Starfire said.

Robin turned to Raven. "What do you think? Walk or ride?"

"We'll never get there in time if we walk. We don't have a choice... and he knows it," Raven said, gesturing with her head to the pink train.

"WHAT ARE YOUR NAMES AND PLACES OF BIRTH? I WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS EACH OF YOU PROPERLY."

"Raven of Azarath," Raven said, gave Robin a look to follow her example, and boarded the train.

"Robin of Gotham." He boarded, the doors closing shut behind him with another small hiss.

"I am Starfire of Tamaran."

"Tucker... of Amity Park."

The interior of the train was high-class. It had several comfy looking chairs, windows viewing the tasteless desert and carpeted floors. There was a holographic screen at the front of the cabin, viewing a red line with several dots on it. There were words, also. The last one said Topeka. Robin took a moment to puzzle over this, but since the map's face was both cracked and the lights on it were flickering, he guessed that it must have been the route the train used to take when it was... alive? Was that the word?

"NICE TO MEET YOU, RAVEN OF AZARATH, ROBIN OF GOTHAM, STARFIRE OF TAMARAN AND TUCKER OF AMITY PARK. I AM BLAINE."

"Blaine?" Tucker asked. "Wow... that sounds... normal."

"NORMAL: USUAL, ORDINARY OR TYPICAL."

"Right."

"Can you take us to the door, Blaine?" Robin asked.

"MY TRACKS LEAD STRAIGHT TO THE DOOR. I PASS THERE AND HAVE THE OPTION TO GO THROUGH IT AT ANY TIME I PLEASE."

"Have you before?" Tucker asked.

"NO. I WOULD FALL OFF MY TRACKS, YOU TWIT."

Tucker looked at Starfire. "Did he just call me a twit?"

"Will you take us?"

"UNDER ONE CONDITION, YES. I WILL TAKE YOU TO THE DOOR."

"What's the condition?" Robin asked.

"I WILL TAKE YOU TO THE DOOR, BUT DURING THE TWENTY MINUTE TRIP, YOUR KA-TET MUST PLAY A GAME."

"What did you call us?" Robin asked curiously.

"HAVE I OFFENDED YOU? I CRY YOUR PARDON."

Robin looked at the others with a puzzled look.

"DO YOU WISH TO PALAVER WITH YOUR KA-TET, ROBIN OF GOTHAM?"

"Uh... yeah," Robin said, giving up on trying to understand what Blaine was saying.

"VERY WELL. WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED, PRESS THE GREEN DOT ON MY MAP FACE." There was a clicking sound and then silence.

"Is it just me... or does this train seem... loopy?" Tucker asked.

"It seems loopy," Raven said.

"Crap. I was hoping that was just me," Tucker said with a frown.

"What do we do?" Starfire asked, "He must take us out of here, or we can never save our friend!"

"He wants us to play a game," Raven said.

Robin nodded.

"Why?" Tucker asked.

Robin shrugged.

"This train isn't mentally stable," Raven said.

"It's a train. It shouldn't be mentally anything," Tucker said.

"Let's just see what game he wants us to play," Robin said. He turned to the map face and put a finger on the single green dot on the map, which was blinking slightly.

"HAVE YOU FINISHED WITH YOUR PALAVER, ROBIN OF GOTHAM?"

"Yes, Blaine," Robin said. "What game do you want us to play?"

"HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF RUSSIAN ROULETTE?"

Robin suddenly went wide-eyed.

"YOU SEEM TENSE, ROBIN OF GOTHAM. WOULD YOU CARE FOR A MASSAGE? I HAVE THE FINEST IN RELAXATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES."

"We're not going to play Russian Roulette."

"VERY WELL. ENJOY THE WALK THROUGH THE DESERT. I WOULD ADVISE YOU TO NOT TIRE YOURSELVES, HOWEVER. THIS DESERT CAN BE QUITE CRUEL TO HUMANOIDS."

Robin glowered at the map –using this as a face for Blaine the train- and looked at his companions.

"Let's play," Raven said.

Robin looked at her as though she had just lost her mind. "Play? That's not a game."

"Either we play or we see which one of us is the first to drop on foot," Raven said. "Which game seems better to you?"

Robin stared at her and didn't say anything.

"We'll play, Blaine," Raven said to the roof.

"EXCELLENT! PLEASE TAKE YOUR SEATS."


	24. Help

Sam looked around at her companions while tapping her fingers rhythmically on her knees. This was taking too long. What if Reaper got impatient and decided to kill their friends anyway? Danny was probably right; Reaper probably wasn't very patient after having spent years in captivity. Finally, she couldn't take it any longer. "Look, guys. We have got to get going. Reaper might not wait for very long."

"Slow down, Sam. Danny looks like he could use just a little more rest," Cyborg said. "We can't push him too hard."

"I'll be ready to go in a second," Danny said with a weak smile.

"I hate it how you act like nothing is _ever_ wrong with you. Or that you can handle everything."

"I know I'm hurt, but it doesn't change what needs to be done. We've got to go to Reaper and the only way to do that is for me to fly."

"The only way you thought of," said a voice from behind them. They turned, Cyborg activating the gun on his arm.

"Kitty? What are you doing here?" Danny asked, his eyes livening with alertness and caution as he stared at the green-haired ghost girl.

"I'm trying to stop you," Kitty said. Her eyes were glancing around with watchfulness.

"Stop me from what?" Danny asked curiously.

Kitty hesitated, looking at him even more nervously than before. She looked down at her shoes for a minute and then said, "Letting him kill you."

Danny's brow furrowed as he stared at her curiously. "How did you..."

"Everybody knows," Kitty said.

"Why do you care?" Sam asked suspiciously.

"Because Danny Phantom's the last chance for the rest of us. He's defeated every ghost in the Ghost Zone and even Pariah Dark! If _he_ can't stop Reaper, then we're all dead... again."

"I didn't beat Pariah Dark alone, you know," Danny said.

"I know," Kitty said. "Everybody heard about what happened, but listen, Reaper doesn't have your friends with him. He locked them away."

"Where?" Danny asked, sitting up a little.

"Nobody knows. We don't like being very close to him, but this gives you a chance to fight him again."

"Does Danny _look_ like he can fight anybody right now?" Sam asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Now that you mention it, not really," Kitty said with a frown, "but if you let him kill you, it's all over."

"He's not going to kill him," Sam said sternly.

"You have a plan?"

"Sort of," Beast Boy said.

"You sort of have a plan?"

"We work better under pressure," Danny said with a grin.

"Well, listen, since you guys obviously don't know what you're doing, Johnny and I do," Kitty said.

"Johnny?" Cyborg asked.

"Another ghost. There are a lot of them around here in the Ghost Zone," Danny said sarcastically.

"Are you offering us your... help?" Sam asked.

"As much as we can give," Kitty said, "Just so long as you lock that monster back up."

"We'll do our best," Danny said.

"Alright. We heard you guys talking about a problem. You need a lift?" Kitty asked.

The four nodded in unison.

"Okay," Kitty said. "We can give you some and we can give you some help. Johnny's going to give you Shadow. Johnny! Come here!" Kitty shouted.

There was the rumble of a motorcycle as Johnny 13 came screeching out from behind some rocks, skidding across the ground as he brought the vehicle to a stop. "Shadow, guard," Johnny said, and immediately his shadow was given life, becoming a black blob much like Spectra without her suit. Shadow flew over to Danny and hovered beside him loyally.

"Reaper can't kill Shadow unless he kills me," Johnny said, "so he can help you a lot."

"Thanks," Danny said, looking at Shadow cautiously. He wondered what kind-of game this was, but when he looked into Kitty and Johnny's terrified eyes, he knew it was no game. They were scared of Reaper and would do anything to stop him. _Except help,_ Danny thought, but could he blame them? He had been desperately wishing that he didn't have to go while they had been flying, hoping that maybe he would faint or something. Then he wouldn't have to go.

"No problem," Johnny said, "Just stop him."

"Alright, Danny and Sam," Kitty said as Johnny got off the motorcycle, "take the bike. That should help some. We can't really do anything for the iron and green guys." She looked at Cyborg and Beast Boy apologetically.

"Aw, man!" Beast Boy said.

"Thanks for the help," Danny said, beginning to stand. To his surprise, he felt arms take his shoulders and lift him up. He looked at the arms and followed them up to Shadow. "Thanks."

Shadow said nothing, but let him go once he was standing and followed him over to the motorcycle. He sat down at the front and Sam took the seat behind him, wrapping her arms around his stomach, careful to steer clear of his chest.

"Don't get killed," Johnny said, patting the handle.

Danny nodded and revved the engine. As though it had been a queue, Beast Boy morphed back into a pterodactyl and grabbed Cyborg by the shoulders.

"You guys ready?" Danny asked.

"Let's go kick some butt!" Cyborg said.

Danny smiled and started up the motorcycle, driving off of the island with a 'thank-you' wave to Johnny and Kitty and into the green nothingness of the Ghost Zone, Beast Boy and Cyborg following closely behind.


	25. No Sign

"We don't have a gun to play with," Robin said, looking out of the window of the speeding train- which Blaine had told them was a mono. He couldn't really catch anything, as they were going too fast for his eyes to focus in on anything.

"YOU DO NOT NEED TO WORRY YOURSELF OVER THE NECESSITIES THE GAME REQUIRES. I HAVE THAT TAKEN CARE OF. YOU WILL NOT BE USING A GUN FOR THIS GAME, BUT INSTEAD YOU WILL EACH BE TOUCHING MY MAP FACE. I HAVE PROGRAMMED IT TO MALFUNCTION AT ONE RANDOM MOMENT DURING OUR TWENTY MINUTE TRIP. WHEN ONE OF YOU TOUCHES THE MAP, YOU WILL BE SHOCKED WITH OVER TEN-THOUSAND VOLTS OF ELECTRICITY."

"Hey, I've already been fried once today and it hurt. I don't want to go through that again," Tucker said.

"YOU CAN FORFIET THE GAME, BUT YOUR TRIP WOULD BE CUT SHORT."

Robin looked at Raven uncertainly, but she only stared at him with a look that told him that she knew what she was doing. With a sigh, Robin turned to the map. "We'll play."

"WONDERFUL! NOW, LET'S BEGIN. YOU HAVE ALREADY WASTED TWO MINUTES OF THE TRIP. WHO WILL BE THE FIRST?"

"I will go first," Starfire said, standing.

Robin's frown increased.

Starfire went over to the map, looking at the green dot that still did not move for a moment and then looked up at the roof. "Where do I touch?"

"THE GREEN DOT."

Starfire nodded and, after a moment more of hesitation, pressed the green dot, shutting her eyes as she did so, but nothing happened. Her finger touched the dot on the screen without any interruption. There was a sigh of relief from everyone in the cabin.

"IT APPEARS TO HAVE SKIPPED YOU THIS ROUND, STARFIRE OF TAMARAN."

"I hope it skips everyone," Starfire said as she returned to her comfortable chair.

"WHO NEXT?"

Robin stood up and walked slowly over to the map.

"SEVENTEEN MINUTES TO DESTINATION," Blaine said, "PLAY YOUR TURN QUICKLY AND THEN STEP AWAY FROM THE MAP."

Robin glanced up at the roof briefly, shook his head and then reached a hand out to the map. Without giving his mind any time to think about it, he touched the green dot. Again, the finger made contact without interruption. Robin sighed with relief and pulled his hand away. Above him, Blaine was laughing that chilly laugh.

"ANOTHER LUCKY PLAY."

"I think I know why Reaper took us here," Robin said as he looked back at the others gravely.

"I'll go next," Tucker said, standing.

"VERY WELL, TUCKER OF AMITY PARK. STEP UP TO THE MAP, IF YOU PLEASE."

Tucker stepped up to the map and stood in front of it, staring at the green dot while licking his dry lips, though he was unable to relieve them.

"MY NEW FRIENDS MUST BE THIRSTY. WOULD YOU CARE FOR A MEMOSA? OR PERHAPS A MARTINI?"

"How about water?" Raven asked.

"I CAN PROVIDE WATER, WHICH FOR YOUR COMFORT HAS BEEN COMPLETELY PURIFIED." Beside the chairs suddenly appeared a small table with four glasses of sparkling water on top. They each took one, Tucker leaving the map for a moment to take a drink, wet his lips, and set it down beside his seat. He then returned to the map and stared at the green dot again.

"Thanks for the drinks. I was parched," Tucker said.

"MY MAINFRAME CAN DETECT MY PASSENGERS' COMFORT AND STRESS LEVELS. YOU ARE VERY THIRSTY, SLIGHTLY HUNRGY AND EXTREMELY TIRED FROM LITTLE REST AND EXTREME STRESS. I PRESUME THIS STRESS WOULD COME FROM YOUR CONCERN FOR YOUR FRIEND."

"Yeah," Tucker said. He closed his eyes and practically stabbed the map with his finger. Nothing happened. He quickly removed it and sat back down in his seat, taking the drink and gulping down several swallows.

"THAT LEAVES YOU, RAVEN OF AZARATH."

Raven stood from her seat, placing her robe over the arm and walked over to the map, touching it without hesitation. She was not shocked.

"EVERYONE HAS SURVIVED ROUND ONE. HOW EXCITING! NOW FOR ROUND TWO... AND WHAT DO YOU SAY WE MAKE IT MORE INTERESTING. I HAVE NOW REPROGAMMED THE MAP TO HAVE A TIMER. IT WILL SHOCK EVERY TIME THE TIMER HAS ENDED A CYCLE."

"That wasn't a part of the deal," Robin said.

"THE TERMS OF OUR AGEEMENT WERE NEVER COMPLETELY DISCUSSED, ROBIN OF GOTHAM."

"That's true, Blaine," Raven said, "so let's have a... what did you call it? Palaver... all of us; about the rules."

There was silence for a moment. Finally, Blaine replied, "I APPRECIATE THE ATTEMPT TO STALL FOR TIME, RAVEN OF AZARATH, BUT I HAVE LITTLE PATIENCE FOR IT. WE WILL CONTINUE THE GAME THE WAY WE STARTED IT. SHUTTING OFF TIMER SEQUENCE AND REPROGRAMMING TO RANDOM SEQUENCE." There was a click. "THERE WE ARE. NOW, WHO WAS NEXT?"

"We need to palaver, Blaine," Robin said.

"VERY WELL, BUT TO MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME I WILL BE STOPPING UNTIL YOU ARE FINISHED. WHEN THE GAME IS RESUMED, I WILL CONTINUE ON," Blaine said and then said no more.

Robin turned to Raven, his forehead wrinkled from stress. "Alright. That's enough. We're getting off."

"We're two-thirds of the way there," Raven said.

"I'm not going to let him kill any of us."

"He's not going to," Raven said calmly.

Robin gave her an inquiring look.

"Just trust me and keep riding for as long as we can."

------

"What now?" Beast Boy asked, looking down at the small island where the Specter Speeder was nothing but a tiny white dot in the distance.

"I go on alone. I can fly that distance," Danny said. "While I keep Reaper busy, you guys have to find the others. When they're safe, have Beast Boy come. That'll be my signal to get out of there."

"You're going to face Reaper alone?" Sam asked. "That's kind-of stupid of you, don't you think?"

Danny paused, thought for a moment and then looked at Shadow. "I'll have him come with me."

"Good idea," Cyborg agreed.

Danny dismounted from the motorcycle and transformed, with some effort, into Danny Phantom.

"If anything goes wrong, you get out of there," Cyborg said.

Danny nodded and glanced down at the island with a slight frown. He then looked at Shadow, who had not left his side since they had left Kitty and Johnny 13. That was somewhat reassuring, but he doubted if Shadow could manage very long against Reaper. "Good luck, guys," Danny said at last and then began flying down, Shadow following along behind him.

The others watched him for a moment, somewhat shocked at everything that was taking place, but after he began disappearing, they turned to take care of the business they were assigned to.

As Danny flew down to face his almost-murderer, he was formulating a plan in his head. He didn't want Shadow to be seen immediately. If he could be kept hidden, that might give him just more of an advantage, however meager it may be.

----------

Blaine had picked up speed again once the palaver was over and the game had restarted. Thus far, no one had been shocked, which, somehow, was disconcerting Robin. He guessed that this train didn't really want to take them to the door and get them where they wanted to go. No, it seemed more likely that Blaine was dragging out this game for the fun of it, until they came to the end of their trip, at which point everything would probably end in a pretty flash of blue light. He was fairly certain, that this feeling wasn't just a hunch or opinion. Even so, he sat in his chair, watching each of his friends walk up slowly to the map face, touch it lightly with the tip of their fingers, and then return to their seats.

"EVERYONE HAS SURVIVED ROUND FIVE," Blaine said.

_You mean you let us survive round three,_ Robin thought, but remained seated, saying nothing.

"Looks like we have," Raven said, "How much farther until we get to the door, Blaine?"

"APPROXIMATELY FIVE MINUTES, RAVEN OF AZARATH."

_Five minutes to the blue flames if Raven's plan doesn't work,_ Robin thought. Several more cynical thoughts ran through his head before he could finally put them out of his mind.

"WHO IS UP NEXT?"

Tucker stood from his seat and walked over to the map face, while overhead Blaine spoke in a baseball-mediator's voice, "THE CROWD HUSHES AS TUCKER OF AMITY PARK STEPS UP TO THE PLATE."

Tucker, a little more confident at having survived five rounds, approached and touched his finger to the map face. By that time, they had come to the four minute mark. As his finger made contact, its shadow strangely darker than seemed natural, there came a sizzling noise and a bright blue light jumped from the map to his extended finger. He went wide-eyed and then shut them, preparing for the end. His mind whirled with thoughts. This time, he wouldn't wake up a little shaky and cold. This time, he wouldn't wake up at all.

---------

Danny landed on the island softly, looking around for his friends... or his enemies. He was feeling slightly stronger thanks to a rush of fear-induced adrenaline and had gotten over there with a fair amount of ease. It was the only reprieve he had gotten ever since Reaper had been let loose. He looked to the right of him, wondering where Shadow had decided to hide himself until called. If things went bad, he'd need him quickly, but if Cyborg, Sam and Beast Boy returned with the others, he would just be helpful backup.

As he came out from behind a rock, he saw a large chunk of metal about twenty feet from the Specter Speeder and knew immediately what it was. Skulker. Was he dead? He looked a little rough, but mostly intact.

"Heavy breathing isn't terribly ideal for secrecy, is it?"

Danny whirled, backing up several feet and staring at the blue-skinned figure of Reaper. He was leaning against a boulder casually, not really looking at Danny, but at Skulker. "Your heartbeat sounds like a drum."

"It happens," Danny said nervously, taking a few more tentative steps backward.

"Not to everyone," Reaper replied, his eyes suddenly turning an even brighter red than before. A slight grin was appearing on his face. He spun his cane in his left hand, making the blade, which was activated, dig into the island surface and break up small pebbles and dirt. "Isn't there a saying that you only miss what you no longer have?"

Danny paused, looking around and licking his lips, which had suddenly gone very dry.

"I cannot remember who may have written that," Reaper said musingly. After a moment, his eyes turned to Danny and again that grin crossed his face. "But enough teasing. Let's get down to business, shall we?" He stopped spinning his cane and grasped it tightly in his hands.

Danny felt his heart stop- he was too frightened to catch the irony- and began thinking quickly. Reaper had provided most of the stalling, but it looked like he was done and ready to get on with it. As Reaper took a step forward, Danny blurted out the first thing that came to his mind; "What was your wife's name?"

At this, Reaper stopped dead, making Danny wonder if maybe he had accidentally frozen him, but after a moment, he straightened, his eyes flaring dangerously. "That... boy... is none of your concern," he hissed viciously.

"Did you love her?" Danny pressed. It probably wasn't the best idea, but for the moment, that was all he had to go with it and it appeared to be working.

Reaper stared down at him silently, his hand grasping his cane so tightly that Danny could hear the material straining to retain its form. "Speak again, and I'm going to make this very unpleasant for you," Reaper said, his voice regaining some of its steady firmness of before.

Danny hesitated, glancing up at the sky for his friends... no sign.


	26. Suicide

Tucker braced himself as the sizzling noise increased, but he felt nothing. Not even a tingle. He peeked open one of his eyes, saw the map face lights blinking on and off rapidly and small blue strings jumping from it to his finger, yet still he felt nothing. Was he maybe numb? Or... what if he was already dead and he was reliving this moment over and over?

"TUCKER OF AMITY PARK HAS LOST ROUND SIX," Blaine stated, his mechanical voice booming.

Tucker moved his finger away, looked at it and then at the map face again curiously.

"HMM... THERE APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN A MALFUNCTION. HIS VITALS HAVE REMAINED STEADY."

"I'm... alive?" Tucker asked, looking at each hand as though for the first time. "Woohoo!"

"CHEATER. INITIATING COMPENSATIONAL METHODS," Blaine said.

Tucker looked up at the roof. "Huh?"

There was a loud whirring.

--------

* * *

By the time they had separated, Cyborg had switched places with Sam, taking the motorcycle so that Beast Boy would have someone a little lighter to carry. Sam helped out with some of the navigating, but for the most part, they had no idea where they were going.

"If I were a psychotic serial killer ghost... where would I put my hostages?" Beast Boy thought aloud.

"Close by," Cyborg said.

"Think we should just circle the island and see if we can find anything?" Sam asked.

Cyborg shrugged. "I don't know."

Sam sighed. "Do you think they're okay?"

"Oh yeah. Robin's a tough guy," Cyborg said, "He wouldn't let anything happen to them."

Sam nodded, but couldn't push away the fear. What if something went wrong? What if they couldn't find them in time... What if Danny cooperated?

--------

* * *

Danny took a step back as Reaper took a step closer, which made the red-eyed phantom laugh. "Come now. Let's see that heart," Reaper said, arms outstretched in a welcoming gesture, his eyes seeming to flash in a blaze.

Danny stood still, his mind whirling. Sam and the titans still needed time. Again, he blurted out whatever had been on his mind. It had had some effect before. "Did she love you?"

The blaze in his eyes grew to a point Danny thought he could feel the heat emanating from them from where he was standing. Reaper raised his free hand and fired a red blast at him, sending him several feet backwards and onto his stomach. He struggled up, wrapping an arm around his chest in pain.

"You're going to regret that!" Reaper said, scowling, eyes blazing as he walked quickly and steadily towards him.

Danny got to his knees, opened his mouth and, without really thinking it through, let out his Ghost Wail. The green rings and waves come rushing from his throat and towards the oncoming phantom.

Reaper stopped mid-walk, stared at the waves curiously for a moment, and then was pushed backwards. He threw up his arms in front of his face and tried to regain his footing, but the wail was too strong, and was beginning to push him clean off the island.

Danny was quickly growing tired, but he held it. They still needed time and this looked like it was working. He struggled to keep it going and keep from transforming, but at last, it was too much. The wail ceased and he morphed into a tired and weak Danny Fenton.

-------

* * *

The whirring continued, growing louder and louder.

"He's overloading!" Robin shouted. This was the part he had guessed would come. They were nearing the door (that was if Blaine hadn't lied about it) and the game was coming to an end.

"TIME TO DOOR: THIRTY SECONDS... TWENTY-NINE SECONDS... TWENTY-EIGHT SECONDS... CARE FOR A MASSAGE? I WON'T PLAY SILLY GAMES... TELL ME SOME RIDDLES... WHY DID THE BABY CROSS THE ROAD...?...ROAD...? ROAD...?"

"Robin! What is happening?!" Starfire shouted over the noise, clapping her hands over her ears to drown out the whirring and booming voice of Blaine.

"RIDDLES! TELL ME RIDDLES... RID-D-D-LES..."

"I think he's having a nervous breakdown!" Robin shouted.

"What?!" Tucker shouted.

"I WON'T PLAY SILLY GAMES, GU-" The whirring intensified and blue strings of light came bursting from every electrical point of the cabin.

Raven grabbed everyone together with the help of Robin and formed a telekinetic shield around them.

"DIE! DIE!"

-------

* * *

Danny raised his head wearily and looked in the direction Reaper had been. He saw a large crater from his wail, but no sign of the red-eyed ghost. He turned to a sitting position, putting his hands on his knees and breathing tiredly. That was stupid, but it looked like it worked, probably not for long, but it might have bought Sam and the others more time. That was all that mattered.

"Interesting little trick..."

Danny whirled and looked up at Reaper, who was now standing right in behind him. Danny knew the wail had gotten him, but he looked perfectly untouched. _That really wasn't your best wail,_ Danny thought to himself bitterly. _And even if it had been, I don't think it would have worked._

"But you've just broken your part of the deal," Reaper said dangerously, looking down at him with a wide grin, "and when I'm finished with you... I'm going to break mine."

"Shadow!" Danny shouted, his voice cracking near the end.

Reaper stared down at him with a curious look at first, but then glanced up as movement caught his eyes.

Shadow rushed out from behind a boulder and rammed himself straight into Reaper, knocking them both over. Shadow immediately began thrashing and throwing punches at the red-eyed phantom, who looked both surprised... and enraged.

Danny got up weakly and hurried off to hide behind a boulder to gather up his strength again. He didn't know how much longer he and Shadow could "stall", but he doubted if it was very long. He looked up into the Ghost Zone and frowned. Still, there was no sign.

-------

* * *

"We must get off of Blaine!" Starfire shouted.

"I WON'T P-P-PL-PLAY SILLY G-G-GA-GAMES. TIME TO DOOR... EIGHT SECONDS... SEVEN SECONDS..."

"Raven! Open the door!" Robin said.

Raven turned to the door, which was immediately engulfed in black and torn away from its hinges. Quickly, Raven grabbed Tucker while Starfire grabbed Robin.

"INITIATING COMPENSATIONAL METH-METH-METHODS. DIE, DIE, DIE, INFERIOR BEINGS! DIE! TWO..."

"Go!" Robin shouted.

Raven and Starfire flew out, holding their passengers by the arms as Blaine made an abrupt turn that looked like was going to knock him over, but instead, it threw him off the track and threw him into the desert sand like a rocket. It hit a dune, crumpling up as his boxes crushed the front in a sandwich.

Raven and Starfire landed, putting their friends down as well and looked behind them... Blaine hadn't been lying.


	27. Heart

Benjamin had been expecting a rescue attempt, but the surprise of seeing a ghost instead of Danny's friends took him a moment to fully recover from the fall he and the black ghost (whom Danny had called "Shadow") had taken. However, once the surprise was passed, it was immediately replaced by blind fury.

Shadow, who was on top of him, began thrashing and clawing in a rather lunatic-like craze.

Benjamin attempted to push Shadow off of him, but his hand seemed to sink into the black form like it was water. Stealing the opportunity, he fired a red blast, tearing Shadow almost into two pieces. Screeching, Shadow lifted into the air. Benjamin stood and went to grab his cane- which he had inadvertently lost in his fall. It was a few feet away from where he had fallen. As he went over to grab it, Danny appeared from behind a boulder and grabbed it.

Benjamin stared at the boy with red-hot rage. "You're going to regret that!" he shouted fiercely and went flying towards him.

Danny jumped to the side, but too slowly. Benjamin caught him by the ankle and pulled him off of his feet, making him land face-down on the ground. He landed and was about to turn him over when Shadow made a second attack, flying towards him and ramming himself into him once again. This time, Benjamin didn't fall. He firmed his grip on the ground and, using Shadow's force, threw him off and to the other side of him. He picked up his cane quickly and held it in a defensive position.

Shadow recovered and turned back around to make another charge. Benjamin waited patiently until he was only a foot away and then struck his cane through where he assumed the heart would be. Like his hand, however, it fell into it like he had just stabbed water, making no effect on the black creature.

Irritated, impatient, and enraged, Benjamin sent lightning trailing down into his cane and through the shadow-ghost. It screeched in pain and pulled away. As Benjamin turned to finish off his victim, he was met with a fist on his cheek bone. He stepped back as a wave of dizziness blurred his vision, though it passed quickly. Looking up, he saw Danny pulling back for another blow. He dodged, grabbed his wrist and twisted it.

Danny fell to his knees, biting his lip to keep from crying out.

"Your friends are going to pay for your foolishness," Benjamin said and then raised his cane.

* * *

Cyborg, Sam and Beast Boy were getting nowhere. They didn't know how many times they had circled that island, going farther out and in to make sure they had covered everything, but there wasn't any sign of their friends.

"What now?" Beast boy asked.

"We need to keep looking," Cyborg said.

"We've been looking for too long," Sam said, "We need to get back and help Danny."

"You're not going anywhere," said a female voice from behind them.

They looked around to see Spectra and Bertrand behind floating behind them.

Sam glared at Spectra angrily. "Where are they?!"

"They're alive... if they were smart, that is," Spectra said dryly.

"Bring it, creepy-black-shadowy-ghost-lady!" Beast Boy said.

Spectra opened her mouth to say something when a green bolt blew her off to the right, sending her spiraling and spinning. A second one hit Bertrand, sending him in the same direction.

The three looked and all eyes went wide with excitement and happiness.

"Guys! Do you know how long we've been looking for you?!" Cyborg shouted to them as Raven and Starfire flew their passengers over to them.

"Hey, Sam!" Tucker shouted, "I'm alive! Thanks to Raven's telekinesis! I should be dead, but I'm not! I'm alive!"

Sam looked up at him with concern and then at Robin. "Is he okay?"

"Hectic day. He'll be fine," Robin said and then looked at Cyborg. "Where's Danny?"

"He's stalling Reaper," Beast Boy said.

"He's what?!"

"Reaper made a deal with Danny that he'd let you guys live if Danny let him kill him," Sam said. "So we decided to find you guys, make sure you were safe and then go help Danny."

"You left Danny to face Reaper alone?" Raven asked.

"No. He's got this ghost with him," Beast Boy said.

"Where is he?" Robin asked.

Cyborg pointed down to the island. "We better get going. He's been down there alone too long."

Robin nodded in agreement.

"You can't help him," Spectra said, flying back up to them. "You've fought Reaper twice now and he's only gotten stronger."

"Do you _want_ another whoopin', lady?" Beast Boy asked. "Shoo! Scat!" He made a quick, waving gesture.

"I see you're very determined to stop Reaper," Spectra said, "So hear this... He _can't_ be stopped. Postponed, maybe, but not stopped. Even if you catch him, he'll escape and he'll chase Danny down to the ends of the earth, if necessary... and kill anyone who gets in his way."

"We're not going to let that happen," Robin said.

"You'll try," Spectra said.

"She's distracting us," Raven said abruptly.

Spectra looked at her. "What do you think _you_ can do? He knows your weaknesses."

"We need to go," Raven said, looking at Robin.

"He's already beaten you twice. You can't beat him and you know it," Spectra said, directing this statement towards Robin.

"Shut up!" Sam shouted, twisting to make Beast Boy let go of her. Once floating weightlessly, she pulled back a fist and punched Spectra in the face.

Spectra, surprised turned to her with wide eyes. "Why, you little-" before she could finish, Raven came up and punched her as well, strengthening it with her telekinesis. Spectra fell backwards.

"Danny's in trouble," Raven said, turning to the others. "We don't need to waste our time with her."

Robin nodded. "Titans, go!"

* * *

­

_It's over_, Danny thought to himself. He'd stalled as much as he could, but he was tired. He didn't really have anything left, not that if he _did_ have anything it would do much damage to Reaper. He closed his eyes, waiting for Reaper to stab him for the second and last time when he felt the grip on his wrist suddenly release. Opening his eyes, he looked up and went wide-eyed at the sight of Skulker, throwing a punch that knocked Reaper onto one knee. He then turned to Danny and held out a metal hand. Danny took it and struggled up to his feet.

"Go, Ghost Child!" Skulker said and then turned to the recovering, scowling phantom who couldn't possibly get any angrier.

"You wretched fool!" Reaper hissed and then fired a bolt of lightning at Skulker.

He dodged it and then fired his own green bolt.

While they fought, Danny weakly ran off, holding his chest –which most definitely had torn stitches. As he looked back, he saw Shadow join the fight, again slashing and clawing wildly. Facing forward again, he ran right into a pair of open arms that grabbed and pulled him behind a boulder. He struggled at first until he saw who it was. "Sam..." he breathed. He also saw Tucker, crouching beside her.

"Shh," Sam said and hugged him. "We found them. The Titans are moving in right now." She looked him up and down with concern. "You're bleeding."

Danny looked down at his chest. The red stain on his shirt confirmed her statement. He looked up at her again. "I'm okay."

* * *

The fight between the three ghosts raged and -worst off- Reaper was winning. He had exhausted Shadow –yet somehow the black ghost managed to come back for more- and Skulker was quickly running out of ideas. Wanting the fight to end quickly, Reaper made a duplicate of himself, which went after Shadow with more bolts of lightning –as that seemed to do the most damage- while he went after Skulker.

"I have waited too long for this!" Reaper shouted, firing a red bolt of the metal ghost in front of him. Skulker dodged it, but barely. "Killing your girlfriend was satisfying, but not as much as _this_ will be!" He fired another blast, which was again dodged, but that was what he had been hoping for. As Skulker dodged the first blast, Reaper fired a second in the direction he was moving, which hit him square in the chest, knocking him over and onto his back.

"Reaper!" called out a female voice suddenly from behind him.

Startled, he turned and looked at the five Titans running across the island towards him. Surprised, and slightly impressed he laughed. "You rode Blaine! You foolish mortals _actually_ rode him." He turned to face them with a grin. "I didn't think you were that desperate."

The five stopped a few feet in front of him, all getting into a fighting position.

"It's unfortunate you came. You see, Danny broke his deal, which means I can break mine. And this time, I will _not_ hesitate," he said and then duplicated himself five times until there were a total of eight Reaper's on the island.

Without a thought, Starfire flew in towards them, firing blasts at two, her eyes glowing a fierce green. Robin, Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy followed after her, honing in on a duplicate and fighting it mercilessly.

While the doubles took care of the petty matters, Reaper then turned and scanned the island. He started to walk away when a cold, metal hand grabbed his ankle and pulled it out from under him. He fell to the ground, bringing up a dust cloud around him. He turned and glared at Skulker, who still held onto his ankle with a death-like grip.

Using his free leg, he kicked Skulker's face, making him release his hold. Standing quickly, he began walking away from the battle towards a large cluster of boulders.

* * *

"We have to get you out of here. I parked Johnny's motorcycle over there," Sam said, gesturing behind her.

"But what about-" Danny started.

"They'll be fine. Besides, you're in no condition to help them, anyway," Sam said and then tugged at his arm.

"Yeah, man. We gotta go before-"

"I find you," Reaper said.

Sam picked up a rock and threw it, though he dodged it easily. She turned to Danny. "Run!" Then she stood up and threw herself at the red-eyed phantom without any hesitation.

"Sam!" Danny shouted, but Tucker grabbed his arm and began pulling him back.

Sam had barely touched Reaper before he had grabbed her arm and tossed her like a rag-doll onto one of the nearby boulders. She hit her back hard and slid down to the ground limply. Reaper then went towards Danny and Tucker.

Danny pushed Tucker out of the way and then fell to his knees. "Don't hurt them! Kill me, just don't hurt them!"

"It's too late for negotiations," Reaper said and then raised a hand. Before Danny could register, Reaper was digging into his _own_ chest. Grabbing hold of the worthless body-part which was his heart, he pulled it out and threw it off to the side. He didn't need it anymore. He then advanced towards Danny.

* * *

Skulker weakly got to his feet and looked around at the battle ensuing. He knew the Titans wouldn't be able to fight the duplicates for long. If they couldn't before, they most certainly couldn't now, but the duplicates weren't his concern. It was the original he was focused on. He went off in the direction he had seen the original Reaper go. He knew what to do now. Spectra had indirectly told him.

He had needed to buy time, so he faked unconsciousness. He made the necessary adjustments to his suit in his waiting that would ensure Reaper's inability to gain easy access. Like he had hoped, Reaper put it off for later. During his time of waiting, he heard Spectra explain her plan to Bertrand. It was smart, but she didn't fully grasp Reaper's powers.

He had remained "unconscious" until the last possible moment, giving him the advantage of surprise, though it had amounted to little in the end.

He continued making his way towards the rocks as quickly as he could.

"Skulker!" called a female voice from behind him.

He turned his head, but never stopped walking. It was Spectra.

"You're a fool! You're going to let this monster live to save the life of your enemy?!" she shouted. "You hate them! Let them die!"

He ignored her and kept walking. Yes, he hated them, but the Ghost Boy was _his_ enemy. If anyone would kill him, it would be him, not Reaper. No, he would save the Ghost Boy just to spite Reaper.

"Skulker!" Spectra shouted at him, but again, he ignored her. Suddenly she jumped him, grabbing hold of his neck and trying to pull him down. "I won't let you ruin this!"

Skulker struggled wit her, trying to get her off of his back, but she held tight.

"This is the only way!" Spectra said.

"You're wrong," said someone from behind them.

Skulker turned in time to see Bertrand in the form of a tiger grab hold of Spectra with his claws and yank her off. He turned to Skulker. "Go! Kill that monster!"

Skulker looked at him a moment longer before hurrying on his way.

* * *

Enough. He was tired, he was in pain, but he wasn't going to go down so easily. Danny got to his feet and transformed. It was difficult, but at this point, he had become numb to all of the pains and aches of his body. He stood, glancing over at Sam briefly. She was breathing. That was good, but Reaper was going to pay for that.

Reaper gazed at him as he stood, interested and slightly surprised. "You have a little more fight in you, yet," he said and then made his hands glow red. "Come then, Danny."

Danny made his own hands glow green and advanced, his heart beating wildly. Danny threw out a fist in a punch, but Reaper quickyl dodged it and threw one of his own, sending Danny to the side and onto one of the walls of the rocks around them. Danny got up quickly, however and rushed in again. This time, he feigned a right hand punch, but threw the left one when Reaper hadn't been expecting it. It hit his jaw and made him stumble backwards a little.

"Well done!" Reaper exclaimed, chuckling and standing up straight again. "Do you have anything left?"

Danny glowered at him and fired a green blast, which was met by a red one. They clashed together, forming a red and green explosion mid-flight.

Danny knew he wasn't going to win by throwing little bolts or punches, but at the moment, it was all he could really manage. He couldn't fly. That drained too much energy. He couldn't use his Ghost Wail. He could barely go intangible, but he wasn't fighting to win. He couldn't even if he wanted to. He was doing this for Sam. And for Tucker. And for his friends... and for himself.

Danny advanced again and threw several more punches, all of which Reaper easily avoided. He didn't fall for the fake-punch again and he had no intention of letting Danny hit him again. That was obvious.

* * *

Skulker made it to the rocks in time to see Danny and Reaper battling. Danny was fighting with wild hatred, while Reaper seemed to be teasing him; prolonging the fight for his own personal enjoyment. As he watched for a moment, his eyes went wide. Reaper's heart was gone. It was gone! But where was it? Frantically, Skulker began looking at the ground around him. He saw Sam, breathing silently, several rocks, but no heart. He was about to look further out from where he had come from, when he saw Sam's arm had some blood on it, but it wasn't red. It was green. He hunkered down and lifted her up to see the heart. He grabbed it quickly and stood. It was cold and lifeless; an eternal reminder of Reaper's curse. He looked over at Danny and Reaper again. He could see that the Ghost Boy was tired. There were dark circles under his eyes, his punches and kicks were weak, yet he kept fighting as though he didn't notice.

After a moment, he looked down at the heart again. It was time to end this.


	28. No More

Skulker weakly got to his feet and looked around at the battle ensuing. He knew the Titans wouldn't be able to fight the duplicates for long. If they couldn't before, they most certainly couldn't now, but the duplicates weren't his concern. It was the original he was focused on. He went off in the direction he had seen the original Reaper go. He knew what to do now. Spectra had indirectly told him.

He had needed to buy time, so he faked unconsciousness. He made the necessary adjustments to his suit in his waiting that would ensure Reaper's inability to gain easy access. Like he had hoped, Reaper put it off for later. During his time of waiting, he heard Spectra explain her plan to Bertrand. It was smart, but she didn't fully grasp Reaper's powers.

He had remained "unconscious" until the last possible moment, giving him the advantage of surprise, though it had amounted to little in the end.

He continued making his way towards the rocks as quickly as he could.

"Skulker!" called a female voice from behind him.

He turned his head, but never stopped walking. It was Spectra.

"You're a fool! You're going to let this monster live to save the life of your enemy?!" she shouted. "You hate them! Let them die!"

He ignored her and kept walking. Yes, he hated them, but the Ghost Boy was _his_ enemy. If anyone would kill him, it would be him, not Reaper. No, he would save the Ghost Boy just to spite Reaper.

"Skulker!" Spectra shouted at him, but again, he ignored her. Suddenly she jumped him, grabbing hold of his neck and trying to pull him down. "I won't let you ruin this!"

Skulker tried to grab her and throw her off, but he couldn't reach her. She held on tightly, but she was a little too small to cause him any major inconveniences. So he kept walking.

"Skulker, stop-" she began, but was suddenly cut off. Skulker felt her grip release and completely vanish. He turned to see Shadow, arms wrapped around Spectra as he pulled her backwards. Seizing the opportunity, he turned and began heading back towards the rocks again, hurrying as fast as he could.

* * *

Danny watched him approach and then glanced at Sam, who still lay limp on the ground. A fire started burning inside of him as he stared at her. The pain in his chest vanished. He couldn't feel Tucker pulling his arm or hear him yelling at him. Nothing mattered but that fire. Looking at Reaper again, he stood up, tightening his fists.

"Danny, don't!" Tucker yelled at him.

He didn't hear him. His focus was on Reaper, who was now just feet away from him. He raised a hand, focused and released a green bolt. He didn't notice how much energy that had taken from him, or even care. He fired off two more.

Reaper flew backwards, completely surprised by the sudden, strong attack, but regained his balance quickly. He looked up and glared at Danny dangerously. "You're going to regret that."

Danny got into a fighting stance.

Reaper gazed at him for a moment, and then took a fighting stance as well.

Danny fired another bolt, as big of one as he could manage, and let t escape his hand. It sped towards Reaper, but the ghost didn't budge. He watched it come and held out a hand. When it was close enough, Reaper grabbed it out of the air and tossed it back to Danny, strenghtening it with one of his one.

Danny dodged and then rushed towards Reaper, not noticing the fact that he had torn the stitches on his chest and that the blood was running freely. Even if he had, he wouldn;t have stopped. At this point, he didn't think he was going to live through this, but he would sure as hell wouldn't make it easy. As soon as he was close, he began throwing punches, all of which were easily dodged. Reaper returned with some of his own, which Danny did a fairly decent job of avoiding.

Finally, Reaper managed a punch to the jaw, sending Danny backwards. Given his current condition, Reaper figured that that would be the end of the fight, but Danny stood back up and came back for more. Surprised, Reaper dodged a blow to the face and started moving backwards, giving himself more time to assess the situation. He couldn't use anything too powerful on the boy, or risk damaging the heart, but time was wasting and he was growing increasingly tired of the fight. Were it any other foe, he might have been enjoying himself, but the key to life was right in front of him! He was tired of waiting.

* * *

Skulker finally made his way over to the rocks, the sounds of battle echoing all around him. He glanced back only to see how the Titans were doing, which wasn't well, but it didn't really matter. They were just a distraction. They weren't going to win, but they _were_ buying him precious time. He entered the rocks, looking around. He could hear a fight close by. Reaper and Danny. He was surprised the Ghost Boy was lasting so long, and also pleased. The longer he held out the better. He began making his way towards the sounds.

As he walked, the sounds grew louder and louder, making him go faster and faster. Suddenly, he stopped, seeing something ahead. It was neither of the fighters, that much was obvious. He continued and was eventually able to identify the figures ahead. They were the Ghost Boy's companions. The one named Sam lay on the ground, unmoving while the other knelt over her with a worried look on his face. The boy looked, saw Skulker and waved urgently for him to come to him.

Skulker made his way to him. He looked down at the girl briefly and then at Tucker. "Where is the Ghost Child?"

Tucker gestured behind him. "He's fighting Reaper, but I don't think he can last long. You have to help him!"

Skulker looked ahead and then went wide-eyed. "What is that?"

Tucker followed his gaze and then looked at Skulker again. "That's Reaper heart. He just tore it-"

Not bothering to listen to the rest, Skulker ran over to it and picked it up. Examining it briefly, he grasped it firmly in one hand and continued following the noises.

* * *

Finally, the boy was losing strength and Benjamin was managing more punches than before, which made him fight harder. Just a little more, and life would be restored to him, after all of these years! His mind kept considering using something a bit more powerful just to make the fight end, but he continued to push that thought away. He didn't want to do anything that would risk the heart. That was all that mattered now. Impatiently, he continued the fight, dealing blows and avoiding the meager ones Danny managed to return.

Benjamin could see him getting weaker, but the look on his face never changed. Not once. It was a constant look of determination and anger. Where did that come from? Benjamin thought over it and guessed that it was caused by the attack he had made on the black-headed female. Yes, that was probably the case. He might have saved himself the trouble of a fight if he had not been so eager. He noted that mistake for future reference.

Benjamin threw a fake punch with his right hand and then dealt the actual blow with his left. Danny fell backwards and landed on his back. After a moment, he tried to get himself back up, but his arms were trembling too badly. He was too weak.

Smiling, Reaper came and stood over him. "Now... I will live," he said and raised his cane.

Suddenly, he heard something behind him; a pebble being kicked out of its place. The sound was immediately accompanied by a mechanical voice. "Reaper!"

Benjamin's face contorted with rage and he whirled around. This time, that wretched Skulker wouldn't walk away. Immediately, he released a bolt of electricity, sending it in the direction of the metallic ghost. As he did so, his eyes registered everything in front of him. He saw Skulker, who was, for some strange reason, not moving to avoid the bolt. He could also see Skulker holding something. Benjamin stared at it for a second and then recognition came into his eyes. "NO!"

Skulker held out the hand carrying the heart and let the electric bolt hit it. Immediately, the motionless organ burst into flames, melting in the ghost's mechanical hands, turning the metal red from the heat.

"No! No! NO!" Reaper shouted and started running to him, hoping to stop the fire before it engulfed it entirely, but weakness began to overtake him. His strength began to rapidly vanish. His color became faded until his entire body was transparent. He lost the ability to run, then to walk, and then was barely able to crawl. He fell to the ground just two feet away from Skulker, and yet he kept trying to get to him. He tried to pull himself along the ground, but his arms were too nimble and delicate.

Skulker stared down at him, watching the faded-blue ghost begin to turn old. The fragile body became less and less visible as it disappeared.

Weakly, Reaper looked up at Skulker, his tired, faded-red eyes glaring up at him. His stare never broke, even as the ghost completely vanished, leaving nothing; no puddle of blood, not even the cane. Reaper... was no more.

* * *

**This is not the last chapter. The next one is, but it _is_ the end of Reaper. For those of you who might not have understood how he died, only Reaper can kill, therefore he had to kill himself. **


	29. The Haunting

_**I'm so sorry about how long this last chapter took. For a long time I wasn't sure how to end it, but here it is. Enjoy!**_

Danny woke slowly, hearing complete silence. Weakly, he pushed himself up to a sitting position and looked around. Everything was a little blurry, but he could immediately tell what one of the shapes was. Standing slowly, feeling very dizzy as he did so, he walked over to the shape and knelt down in front of it. Gently, he turned it over and looked down at the face of Sam.

"S-Sam?" he asked.

Her eyes remained closed.

"Sam?"

Suddenly he heard someone come up behind him. He whirled, his left hand glowing green, but he relaxed when he saw it was Robin. Looking back at Sam again, he said, "She's not moving."

Robin was silent, staring at him. "Danny..."

"Help me pick her up. We need to get her back to the-" Danny suddenly stopped when he felt something slightly sticky and wet as he reached to grab her. He stopped and looked at his hand. It had red on it. Red and black. It was then that he noticed the smell. That burnt smell. He looked down at her again and tried to clear his vision. Once the fuzziness went away, he took in a breath. Reaper hadn't just thrown her. He'd burnt her. "No... Robin, help me!" Danny shouted, grabbing her up in his arms and standing.

"Danny..." Robin said, putting his hand on his shoulder.

Danny looked at him, still holding her limp body tightly.

"Danny... she... she passed on ten minutes ago."

Danny stared at him like he hadn't heard. His stare was blank and his face pale.

"I'm sorry."

"W-what?" Danny asked, his voice quiet.

"Danny," said a familiar voice.

Danny turned and his eyes went wide. "Sam..."

Sam stood a few feet away from him, her hair a light blue and her skin was pale. She was staring at him, half-smiling, but you could see that she had been crying.

Danny looked at the body in his arms and then at the ghost a few feet away from him, trying to figure it out in his mind. "Sam... is that..."

"I'm so sorry," Sam said.

Danny gently put down the body and went over to her and touched her cold skin. "No, Sam, I'm sorry. I couldn't... I didn't save you."

"Danny, it isn't your fault," Sam said, smiling at him.

Danny suddenly grabbed her and hugged her tightly, letting tears run down his face as he whispered, "I'm sorry I didn't save you... I'm so sorry..."

She hugged him back. "You're going to have to teach me how to be a ghost, you know," Sam said.

Danny chuckled a little and pulled away to look at her face. "What am I going to tell your family? How do I... how am I supposed to keep going without you?"

"I'm still here," Sam said. "I'll haunt you forever."

Danny smiled a little.

The other Titans and Tucker came up behind them, but neither of them noticed.

"Sam..." Danny said.

She looked at him.

"I love you."

Now tears came down her face and she hugged him again.

"Sam."

Danny and Sam turned to see Clockwork.

"Sam, come with me. I'm here to show you your new life."

Danny suddenly scowled and pushed Sam behind him. "Why did you let her die?! You could havesaved her!" he shouted in frustration.

"I am afraid I could not. I am very sorry. If she hadn't have died, you would have died."

"I don't care!" Danny shouted.

"Danny..." Sam said.

"Its hard to understand now," Clockwork said, "but in time, you'll see that you needed to live. There's still more for you to do. Sam's time is up."

"Danny, it's okay," Sam said.

He looked at her and his face relaxed and he nodded.

Sam smiled at him and went over to Clockwork. "I'm ready," she said and then turned and looked at Danny. "I'll see you later."

Danny nodded, but she could see that he was fighting off more tears.

Sam then looked at the others. "See you guys later."

"It was very nice to have met you," Starfire said, smiling faintly.

"Good luck," Beast Boy said.

Clockwork held out his hand and Sam took it. Then, they disappeared.

* * *

_**This story was dedicated to the first season of Danny Phantom. They really lost site in my opinion of what the show was about in the end there. There will always be troubles and chaos, but what makes you a hero, is walking on despite them. **_


	30. ANOTHER ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE AUTHOR

**IMPORTANT MESSAGE!  
**

**Change of plans. **

**This story will be revamped on _this_ account instead.**

**I will be attempting to basically rewrite the whole thing.**

**Be prepared for more Robin and Danny animosity,**

**Possibly some romance between Beast Boy and Ravyn,**

**More appearances from Teen Titan characters**

**(Maybe even some bad guys!)**

**And DEFINITELY an alternate ending! **

**Since I didn't like the first ending. **

**I will be posting chapter by chapter after rigorous proof-reading and rewriting! **

**Hopefully you guys will like it as much and or even more than the first! :D**

**Reviews and critiques would be highly appreciated and will likely get me to post each chapter at a fast rate.  
**


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